S                       PRINCETON,  N.  J. 

1 

% 

Shelf 

BV  3200  .B57  1872 
Bird,  Isaac,  1793-1876. 
Bible  work  in  Bible  lands 

1 

1 

^  ■  t  ?e:.i. 


J&r::-- 


,.f^ 


m 


'^^■ 


■;V;. 


=»i4> 


I.dflrwad    I 


SYRIA 
MISSION  FIELO. 


BIBLE  WORK 


BIBLE  LANDS; 


OB, 


EVENTS  IN  THE  HISTORY  OF  THE  SYRIA  MISSION. 


BY  THE 

Rev.  ISAAC    BIRD. 


FULLY   ILLUSTRATED. 


PHILADELPHIA: 
PRESBYTERIAN    BOARD    OF    PUBLICATION, 

1334   CHESTNUT    STREET. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1872,  by 

THE  TKUSTEES  OF  THE 

PRESBYTERIAN   BOARD  OF  PUBLICATION, 
In  the  OflBce  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


Westcott    &   Thomson, 
Slereoiypers  and  £lecirotypers,  FhUada. 


pROftKry 

■fi£C.  JAN  1882 
THSOLOGICl 

EDITOR'S  PREFACE. 


"When  the  great  and  good  work  yet  in  its  infancy 
in  Syria  shall  have  ripened  into  maturity,  and  when 
the  various  religions  of  its  mingled  yet  severed  races 
shall  have  melted  into  one  in  the  blessed  gospel  of 
Jesus  Christ,  the  question  will  be  asked,  "Who  were 
the  planters  of  these  churches  ?  AYhence  came  the 
beginnings  of  these  glorious  results?  Under  what 
circumstances  did  the  truth  return  to  these  lands,  hal- 
lowed by  the  footsteps  of  the  apostles  and  of  the  Lord 
himself?"  .  To  preserve  the  records  of  this  memorable 
story  has  been  a  labor  of  love  to  the  author  of  "  Bible 
Work  in  Bible  Lands,"  himself  one  of  the  earliest  la- 
borers in  the  Syria  mission  field.  But  while  a  labor  of 
love  to  him,  it  is  to  the  Church  of  the  present  as  well 
as  of  the  future  an  invaluable  boon.  Already  is  the  / 
dawn  of  a  new  spiritual  day  breaking  upon  those  his- 
toric lands.  Its  rays  are  glittering  on  the  summits  of 
Lebanon  and   Hcrmon,  and  glancing  thence  into  the 

1*  5 


6  PREFACE. 

valleys  and  over  the  plains  of  Syria.     The  gaze  of 

many  is  drawn  thither,  and  gladly  will  they  welcome 

this  first  chapter,  though  not,  as  we  trust  and  believe, 

the  last,  in  the  story  of  the  bringing  to  Christ's  feet  of 

the  dwellers  in  Bible  lands. 

J.  W.  D. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PAGB 

Introductory  remarks — Mohammedans  to  be  specially  benefited 
— First  laborers — Operations  commenced  at  Smyrna — Resi- 
dents jfriendly  to  the  object — Studies  and  labors  in  Scio — Tour 
tothe  "Seven  Churches" 15 

CHAPTER  II. 

Separation  of  Messrs.  Fisk  and  Parsons — Voyage  of  Mr.  Parsons 
to  Jafia — Doings  at  Jerusalem — Greek  rebellion — Destruction 
of  Scio — Visit  at  Samos — Mr.  Parsons  ill  at  Syra — At  Smyrna 
— Voyage  to  Egypt — Death  of  Mr.  Parsons 33 

CHAPTER  III. 

The  war  in  Smyrna — ^Reflections — Mr.  Fisk — Bible  labors  in 
Egypt — Sails  for  Malta — Is  joined  by  Messrs.  King  and  Wolff 
— The  three  visit  Egypt — Pass  the  desert — Reach  Gazza,  Jaffa 
and  Jerusalem — The  morals  of  Jerusalem 49 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Journey  to  Beirut — Messrs.  Way  and  Lewis  at  Sidon — Lady 
Hester  Stanhope — Beirut — Emeer  Besheer — Antoora — Con- 
vents of  Lebanon — Baalbec — Patriarch  Jarwi — Residence  of 
Mr.  King  at  Deir  el  Kommer — Arrival  of  Messrs.  Goodell  and 

Bird 64 

7 


8  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  V. 

PAOB 

Bishop  Monsignor  Gandolfi  at  Beirut— A  Maronite  priest— De- 
parture of  two  of  the  brethren  for  Jerusalem — Visits  at  Sidon, 
Tyre,  Acca,  Nazareth,  Nablus  and  Jerusalem 86 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Preaching  at  Jerusalem — Papas  Esa— Deacon  Caesar — Sale  of 
Scriptures— Bible  men  arrested— Omar  Effendi— Congratula- 
tions at  our  release — Arrival  of  the  Jaffa  consul's  son — Visit 
to  the  governor  and  the  mooUah — Our  rooms  opened — Rapid 
sale  of  Testaments 106 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Visit  to  Bethlehem  and  Hebron — Cave  of  Machpelah — Jews — 
Sheikh  Mohammed— Frank  Mountain — Cave  of  David  and 
Saul — Governor  of  Jerusalem  removed — At  Jaffa — Beirut 118 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Mr.  Goodell  alone  at  Beirut — First  patriarchal  denunciation — 
Letters  from  Rome — Mr.  B.  Barker,  Bible  agent,  and  Lady 
Stanhope — Mr.  King  revisits  Deir  el  Kommer — Conversations 
with  priests — Journey  to  Damascus,  Hums,  Hamah  and 
Aleppo — Firman  against  the  Scriptures — Three  months  in 
Aleppo — Eventful  journey  through  Antioch  and  Tripoli  to 
Beirut 132 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Reply  to  the  patriarch's  bull — Mr.  Fisk  robbed — Patriarch 
Jarwi  roused — Mr.  King  with  Mr.  Fisk  at  Jaffa  and  Jerusa- 
lem— Pasha  collecting  taxes  at  Jerusalem — His  cruelties — 
Journey  to  Beirut — Robbers — Assad  Shidiak — His  casting  a 
lot  about  the  pope — Mr.  King  leaves  Syria 159 


CONTENTS.  9 

CHAPTER   X. 

PAGB 

Shidiak  and  the  patriarch — Sickness  and  death  of  Mr.  Fisk — 
Shidiak  in  custody  of  the  patriarch — Escapes  by  night — De- 
scribes in  writing  his  sojourn  with  his  holiness — Is  visited  by 
his  acquaintances  and  relatives — Priest  Girgis  mocks  at  him — 
He  is  recaptured  by  the  patriarch — Plot  against  the  Bible 
men — The  Lord  of  Hosts  breaks  it  up — Attack  of  Greeks  on 
the  city — ^Mr.  Goodell's  house  plundered  before  his  eyes 184 

CHAPTER  XL 

Phares  Shidiak  driven  from  home — Letters  from  Assad — He  is 
taken  to  the  clutches  of  the  patriarch,  never  again  to  be  free — 
Additions  to  our  communion — ^A  second  papal  bull — Excom- 
munications— Sheikh  Naameh  Lattoof — Two  youths  of  the 
Trodd  family — Lnprisonment  and  trial  of  Tannoos  el  Had- 
dad — Mr.  Smith's  arrival — Priest  Girgis — Bishop  Zachariah 
friendly — Bishop  Gerasimus  and  the  schools 207 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Sick  child  taken  to  the  mountains — Excommunications — Re- 
moval from  Eh-heden  to  Ba-whyta — Negotiations  with  the  pa- 
triarch— Sheikh  Girgis  of  Besherry  intercedes — Interview  of 
the  sheikhs  with  his  holiness — Sheikh  Naameh  exasperated 
and  indomitable ;  the  others  pardoned 232 

CHAPTER  XIIL 

Convent  of  Belmont — Monks  afraid  of  the  Bible — Worshipers 
of  Mary — An  eclipse  of  the  moon — Famous  Greek  preacher, 
Miniati — Battle  of  Navarino  and  panic — Account  of  events 
at  Beirut  and  vicinity  in  various  letters — Return  to  Beirut — 
Retirement  to  Malta 250 


10  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

PAOI 

Operations  in  Malta — Messrs.  Whiting  and  Dwight — ^Visit  to  the 
coast  of  Africa,  to  Greece,  to  Armenia — Labors  at  Beirut  re- 
Bumed — New  curses — Patriarch  excommunicated  by  Jos.  Wolff 
■ — Death  of  Assad  Shidiak — Brummana  village — Druzes — 
Messrs.  Parnell  and  Hamilton — Wortabet's  labors  in  Sidon — 
His  death — two  Jesuits — Lamartine  eulogizes  them — Outrage 
of  soldiers — Traits  of  Ibrahim  Pasha «. 274 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Mr.  Thomson  sets  off  with  his  family  for  Jerusalem — Becomes 
isolated  at  Jaffa  by  war — Terrible  earthquake — Horrors  in 
Jerusalem — The  city  taken  by  the  Arabs  and  retaken  by  the 
pasha — Mrs.  Thomson's  death  at  Jerusalem — Mr.  Thomson 
returns  to  Beirut 298 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

Work  in  Beirut — Arrival  of  a  press — Decease  of  Consul  Abbott 
at  Eh-heden — Station  at  Jerusalem  resumed  by  Messrs.  Whit- 
ing and  Dodge — Death  of  the  latter  at  Jerusalem — Druze  ex- 
citement with  little  present  result — Mrs.  Bird's  ill  health  com- 
pels the  family  to  leave  Syria — Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith's  ship- 
wreck— Death  of  Mrs.  Smith — Triumph  at  Brummana — 
Earthquake  at  Safed — Jerusalem  abandoned — Good  reasons — 
Death  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hebard— New  war  at  Beirut— Death  of 
Mrs.  Wolcott 312 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

Patriarch's  ambition  and  defeat— Dr.  and  Mrs.  DeForest— Death 
of  Mrs.  Smith— Case  of  Raheel,  tried  for  her  faith— Abeih 
occupied — Hasbeiya  waking  up — Fierce  persecutions  assail 
the  inquirers — Alarming  threats — Temporary  retreat  to  Abeih 


CONTENTS.  11 


PAQB 


— Dishonorable  meddling  of  the  Russian  consul — The  perse- 
cutors become  advocates — The  Protestants,  after  severe  trials, 
fence  oiF  a  cemetery,  have  a  church  of  seventeen  members 
and  regular  supply  of  preaching 348 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

New  flames  of  war  in  1845 — Druzes  prevail — Maronite  princes 
driven  from  Abeih — Greeks  killed  at  Hasbeiya — Death  of  the 
patriarch — New  election  ends  in  quarrel  and  sacking  of  Cano- 
been — Greek  patriarch  in  trouble  at  Beirut — Meshaka  and 
his  patriarch  in  discussion — Messrs.  Wilson  and  Foote  at 
Tripoli — Yanni— Messrs.  Wilson  and  Foote  driven  from  Eh- 
heden  — Yanni  unites  with  the  church  at  Beirut — Abdallah 
Zeidan — Ishoc  el  Kefroony — Safeeta 382 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

Sidon — Messrs.  Thomson  and  Van  Dyck,  laborers  with  helpers, 
Tannoos  el  Haddad  and  Eleeas  Fuaz — Sabbath  services — The 
hearers  are  laid  under  ban — A  Jesuit  preacher — Meetings  in 
Lady  Stanhope's  joon — Petitions  from  Deir  el  Kommer — 
Church  of  seven  members  organized — Calls  from  Birteh,  Kana, 
Alma,  Rasheiya — Cruelty  of  the  governor  of  Tyre — Deir  el 
Kommer — Ain  Zehalta  out-station — Druzes  attack  Deir  el 
Kommer  June  1,  1860,  and  on  the  22d  utterly  destroy  it — 
Letter  of  Mrs.  Bird — Wholesale  butchery — A  few  saved  by  the 
missionary — Attack  and  massacre  at  Hasbeiya — Destruction 
of  the  city  of  Zahleh — Rush  of  people,  wounded  and  im- 
poverished, to  Beirut — Task  of  feeding  them — The  part  per- 
formed by  the  Americans — The  mission  transferred  to  the 
Presbyterian  Board — Its  present  state — Letter  of  Rev.  D.  Stuart 
Dodge 403 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGE 

1.— MAP  OF  THE  SYRIA  MISSION  FIELD Frontispiece. 

2.— MODERN   TIIYATIRA 23 

3.— MODERN  PHILADELPHIA 29 

4.— JOPPA,  THE  MODERN  JAFFA 36 

5.— JERUSALEM  FROM  THE  EAST 54 

6.— THE  EMEER  BESHEER 69 

7.— REV.  JONAS  KING,  D.D.,  IN  ORIENTAL  COSTUME 87 

8.— NAZARETH 98 

9.— BETHLEHEM 118 

10.— MODERN  HEBRON 121 

11.— DAMASCUS 148 

12.— THE  MARONITE  PATRIARCH 159 

13.— CANA ISO 

14.— ROBBING  THE  HOUSE  OF  DR.  GOODELL,  AT   BEIRUT 203 

15.— MT.  LEBANON,  WITH  THE   CANOBEEN  CONVENT 211 

16.— LATTOOFS  WIFE  AND  DAUGHTER  RESISTING  THE  PERSECUTORS.  235 

17.— A  SYRIAN  GENTLEMAN 269 

18.— SAFEETA,  NORTHERN   SYRIA 333 

19.— BETHLEHEM 335 

20.— DEIR  EL  KOMMER 351 

21.— ABEIH  SEMINARY,  MT.  LEBANON 359 

22.— HASBEIYA 371 

23.— MODERN  SIDON 405 

21.— HASBEIYA,  ITS  LOWER  PORTION 421 

2 


Bible  Work  in  Bible  Lands. 


CHAPTEE    I 


Introductory  remarks — Mohammedans  to  be  specially  benefited — 
First  Laborers — Operations  commenced  at  Smyrna — Kesidents 
friendly  to  the  object — Studies  and  labors  in  Scio — Tour  to  the 
"Seven  Churches." 

IN  the  autumn  of  1819,  two  young  ministers  of  the  ^ 
gospel  embarked  at  Boston  on  a  Christian  enter- 
prise in  behalf  of  a  needy  race  of  people  on  the  eastern 
shores  of  the  Mediterranean.  The  American  churches 
had  sent  forth  men  to  the  far  East  to  teach  and  reclaim 
from  idolatry  the  degraded  heathen  of  India ;  they  liad 
done  the  same  for  the  savages  of  the  far  West  and  among 
the  islands  of  the  sea,  and  they  were  now  directing  their 
efforts,  as  was  fit,  to  a  prominent  and  populous  nation 
nearer  by — a  nation  who,  though  they  had  found  their 
way  out  from  the  sottish  idolatry  of  their  ancestors,  still 
had  need  that  some  man  should  guide  them  as  truly  as 
the  heathen  themselves.  Taking  their  stand  on  the 
great  fundamental  truth  that  "there  is  no  god  but 
God,'^  the  Mohammedans  had  strongly  condemned  all 
idolatry,  and  finding  images  in  Christian  temples,  had 
hastily  classed  all  the  professed  followers  of  Jesus  among 
the  nations  who  were  to  be  put  under  tribute  or  be  de- 
stroyed.    Bloody  wars,  for  century  after  century,  had 

16 


16  BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

been  waged  betweeir  the  two  parties,  without  any  ap- 
parent prospect  of  an  end.  Christians  still  continued  to 
use  their  images,  and  their  antagonists  to  follow  their 
false  prophet.  It  was  high  time  that  the  former  should 
make  a  better  choice  of  weapons,  and  exchange  their 
sword  of  steel  for  that  of  the  gospel. 

It  seemed  probable  that,  if  by  any  means  the  ad- 
versary could  be  convinced  that  the  true  disciples  of 
'*Esa"  (Jesus)  believed  in  only  one  God  as  truly  as 
himself,  and  that  his  prophet  was  under  a  gross  mistake 
in  supposing  that  Christianity  had  anything  of  idolatry 
in  it,  he  might  easily  be  persuaded  to  become  a  defender 
instead  of  a  persecutor  of  the  Christian  name,  and  this 
cliange  of  attitude  between  those  so  long  at  variance 
would  be  the  gaining  of  a  great  nation. 

To  commence  measures  for  the  introduction  of  so 
happy  a  change,  Messrs.  Fisk  and  Parsons  set  out  on  an 
expedition  to  the  Turco-Christian  population  of  Western 
Asia.  They  came  to  a  landing  first  at  Smyrna,  the  great 
commercial  emporium  of  the  country,  where  they  began 
their  labors.  The  plan  before  them  was  first  to  obtain 
the  sympathy  and  co-operation  of  the  nominally  Chris- 
tian population,  and  through  them  to  reach,  in  the  end, 
their  long-avowed  and  oppressive  enemies. 

But  before  the  native  Christians  could  be  made  of  use 
in  this  desired  capacity  of  co-workers  it  was  necessary, 
for  their  own  sake  as  well  as  for  that  of  their  neighbors, 
that  they  should  themselves  be  persuaded  to  adopt  cer- 
tain changes.  It  was  necessary  that  they  should  remove 
out  of  their  neighbors'  way  those  very  prominent  stum- 
bling-blocks consisting  of  church  images  and  pictures, 
that  they  should  cease  to  invoke  the  help  of  dead  men 
and  dead  women,  that  they  should  cease  to  imitate  the 


BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  17 

heathen  in  giving  to  heaven  a  queen  and  to  God  a 
mother,  and,  more  than  all,  that  they  should  hold  and 
teach  that  all  hope  of  salvation  for  man  rests  on  Christ 
alone  as  the  Saviour,  and  not  on  the  priest  or  the  sacra- 
ments or  ceremonies  of  any  Church. 

To  effect  such  a  change  in  the  native  Christians  of  the 
country  would  require  much  time  and  labor  and  patience, 
but  the  two  brethren,  in  the  name  of  their  Lord  and 
Master,  who  is  Head  over  all  things  to  his  Church,  im- 
mediately put  their  hands  to  the  work,  grasping  lan- 
guages, distributing  Scriptures  and  other  books,  preach- 
ing the  gospel  and  conversing  with  the  people  according 
to  ability  and  opportunity. 

They  were  not  left  without  friendly  assistance  in  be- 
ginning their  work.  The  representatives  of  English 
societies,  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Jowett  and  Wilson,  furnished 
them  from  Malta  with  reading  matter  for  distribution 
and  valuable  advice  for  themselves.  At  Smyrna  itself 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Williamson,  Mr.  John  Lee,  the  Messrs. 
Van  Lennep  and  the  Messrs.  Perkins,  with  other  foreign 
residents,  gave  them  their  countenance  and  influence. 
Mr.  Williamson  was  the  English  chaplain  for  the  city. 
He  warmly  recommended  the  establishment  of  a  press 
at  Smyrna  especially  for  the  Greeks,  who  were  very- 
fond  of  reading,  and  another  press  at  Jerusalem  with 
Arabic  type,  for  he  said  that  among  all  the  thousands 
of  readers,  Greeks  and  Arabs,  in  the  Turkish  dominions, 
there  was  found  for  them  no  such  thing  as  a  native 
newspaper  or  any  other  periodical  publication. 

Mr.  Lee  was  a  native  of  Smyrna,  a  brother  of  the 

British  consul  at  Alexandria,   somewhat  adv^anced    in 

years,  a  great  reader  and  a  man  of  evident  piety.     He 

requested  his  American  friends  to  make  free  use  of  his 

2* 


18  BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS. 

large  library  and  to  look  to  him  freely  for  any  aid 
which  he  could  bestow,  whether  in  the  way  of  informa- 
tion about  the  country  or  of  financial  credit.  The 
Messrs.  Van  Lennep  were  three  brothers,  merchants, 
also  born  in  the  city  and  doing  business  together.  They 
welcomed  the  brethren  into  their  large  family  circle,  and 
manifested  a  continually-increasing  attachment  both  to 
them  and  to  their  work. 

The  Messrs.  Perkins  were  two  brothers  from  Boston, 
trading  in  partnership,  and  the  two  new-comers  Avere 
not  disappointed  in  the  friendly  reception  they  expe- 
rienced from  these  their  own  countrymen. 

In  the  enjoyment  of  such  a  circle  of  friends,  and  con- 
fident of  the  divine  approbation,  they  were  greatly 
encouraged  by  their  prospects.  But  before  they  could 
enter  into  the  heart  of  their  work  they  must  have  the 
gift  of  tongues.  For  this  purpose,  especially  for  the 
acquisition  of  the  modern  Greek,  after  a  short  stay  in 
the  city,  they  repaired  to  the  island  of  Scio.  Here  was 
a  famous  Greek  seminary,  the  chief  college  of  the  nation, 
having  fourteen  instructors  and  six  or  seven  hundred 
students.  At  the  head  of  this  fountain  of  knowledo^e  for 
the  Greek  nation  was  Professor  Bambas,  a  man  the  like 
of  whom  for  learning,  for  religious  sensibility  and  free- 
dom from  sectarian  prejudice  might  be  looked  for  in 
vain  through  all  the  ranks  of  his  co-religionists. 

To  this  gentleman  the  brethren  went  with  letters  of 
recommendation  from  the  Rev.  Mr.  Jowett,  of  Malta, 
and  the  British  chaplain  of  Sm^^rna.  He  received  them 
with  open  arms,  and  immediately  promised  to  give  his 
own  time  for  their  instruction.  Some  hours  each  day 
were  his  own,  and  he  might  spend  them  upon  his 
friends.     This  special  attention  he  was  induced  to  pay 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  19 

tlicni,  in  consideration,  as  he  said,  of  the  "sacred  cause 
to  which  they  were  devoted." 

Further  to  illustrate  the  spirit  of  this  excellent  man, 
the  following  facts  may  be  mentioned.  He  took  for  a 
text-book  in  the  instruction  of  one  of  his  higher  classes 
a  volume  presented  him  by  his  new  American  pupils, 
called  the  "  Young  Minister's  Companion,''  a  compila- 
tion specially  prepared  for  the  use  of  the  theological  stu- 
dents at  Andover  in  America.  The  professor  would 
dictate  a  translation  from  the  English  book,  and  the 
pupils  would  write  it  from  his  lips  in  Greek.  On  his 
first  receiving  this  book,  he  exclaimed, 

"  Oh  this  must  be  excellent!  I  may  make  a  selection 
from  it  to  print  for  the  use  of  the  ecclesiastics." 

Of  another  book  which  these  friends  gave  him  he 
said, 

"  I  shall  read  this  attentively,  both  for  my  own  ad- 
vantage and  for  the  benefit  of  my  pupils." 

He  had  read  the  entertaining  tract,  "  The  Dairyman's 
Daughter,"  it  being  one  of  the  exercises  of  his  little 
American  class  to  translate  the  book  under  his  super- 
vision into  Greek.  One  day,  as  they  were  out  with  him 
examining  the  apartments  of  a  very  splendid  mansion 
in  the  city,  he  observed, 

"  This  is  indeed  elegant,  but  the  chamber  of  the  Dai- 
ryman's Daughter  was  still  more  splendid." 

When  in  the  course  of  their  translation  exercises  they 
had  come  to  the  account  of  the  last  sickness  and  death  of 
the  subject  of  the  story,  he  remarked,  "I  have  never  been 
able  to  read  this  account  without  weeping,"  and  while 
making  his  remarks  upon  the  translation,  he  was  so  much 
affected  that  he  could  not  go  on  without  pausing  several 
times  to  recover  himself.     While  the  brethren  were  dis- 


20  BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

tributing  their  tracts  to  the  pupils  in  the  college,  he  stood 
by  and  added  his  strong  recommendation  to  the  gifts. 
When,  at  a  certain  time,  Mr.  Fisk  was  ill,  he  called  early 
in  the  morning  to  see  him,  and  expressed  the  solicitude 
and  tenderness  of  a  father.  During  his  call  they  read  to 
him  portions  of  the  last  Keport  of  the  British  and  For- 
eign Bible  Society,  which  he  translated  into  Greek. 
Afterward  they  read  and  sang  the  hymn  : 

"Kindred  in  Christ  for  his  dear  sake 
A  hearty  welcome  here  receive." 

He  was  so  much  interested  in  this  hymn  that  he  wished 
them  to  transcribe  both  the  hymn  and  tune  for  his  own 
use. 

It  was  a  rare  chance  to  meet  with  a  man  like  this  in 
Western  Asia,  and  a  rare  privilege  to  enjoy  his  instruc- 
tions and  his  patronage.  It  was  also  esteemed  by  our 
friends  to  be  a  rare  privilege  to  have  the  opportunity  to 
stimulate  such  a  man  in  his  Christian  zeal,  and  by  their 
warm  sympathy  in  their  intercourse  with  him  to  add 
something  to  the  stability  of  his  faith.  They  looked 
forward  with  joyful  hope  to  the  immense  improvement 
which  he,  if  his  life  was  continued  in  his  present  station, 
would  effect  in  the  character  of  his  countrymen.  But, 
alas !  how  little  man  can  know  what  a  day  may  bring 
forth !  Even  cities  and  institutions  may,  like  men,  be 
compared  to  a  flower  of  the  field  :  "  the  wind  passeth 
over  it,  and  it  is  gone." 

During  the  six  months'  residence  of  Messrs.  Fisk  and 
Parsons  on  this  island  they  paid  visits  to  four  monas- 
teries containing  more  than  four  hundred  priests  and 
monks,  and  two  other  establishments  for  females  having 
between   two  and  three   luuidred    nuns.      These  latter 


BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  21 

were  generally  able  to  read,  but  of  the  former  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  only  out  of  the  four  hundred  could 
read.  Forty  of  the  readers  were  priests.  One  is  in- 
clined to  ask  how  it  could  ever  have  entered  into  the 
heart  of  man  to  believe  that  by  building  half  a  dozen 
spacious  houses  on  this  island,  and  taking  from  the  com- 
munity six  hundred  men  and  women  and  confining 
them  in  these  prison-houses,  the  glory  of  God  would  be 
promoted !  Among  all  this  crowd  of  men  professedly 
devoted  to  religion  there  appear  to  have  been  in  use 
only  two  New  Testaments,  and  these  had  been  printed  in 
Germany,  two  hundred  years  before,  in  ancient  Greek — 
unintelligible  to  them.  One  copy  also  of  the  Old  Tes- 
tament they  possessed,  safely  locked  up  in  a  box.  A 
great  many  schools  were  visited  where  children  were 
taught  to  read,  parrot  like,  in  the  ancient  Greek  psalter. 
The  introduction  by  the  missionaries  of  thirty-five  mod- 
ern Greek  Testaments  and  thirty-seven  hundred  intelli- 
gible tracts  must  have  been  to  these  destitute  islanders 
of  Scio  as  the  rising  sun  after  a  long  and  dreary  night. 
To  many  they  may  have  proved  a  warning  voice  unto 
salvation  against  the  day  of  approaching  calamity. 

Immediately  on  the  return  of  the  brethren  to  Smyrna 
they  made  preparations  for  visiting  the  places  where 
once  stood  and  flourished 

THE   SEVEN  CHURCHES   OF  ASIA. 

These  places  were  once  among  the  most  populous  and 
famous  cities  of  the  western  part  of  Asia  Minor.  Smyr- 
na was  one  of  them;  the  others  lay  around  it  in  a  semi- 
circular line  three  or  four  hundred  miles  in  extent. 
These  cities  naturally  had  very  early  their  important 
churches,  and  no  one  who  has  ever  read  that  wonderful 


22  BIBLE   WORK   IN    BIBLE   LANDS. 

composition,  the  Book  of  the  Kevelation,  can  easily  for- 
get the  messages  sent  them  by  Jesus  Christ  through  his 
servant  John  in  Patmos,  each  particular  message  being 
accompanied  by  that  solemn  charge,  ^'  He  that  hath  an 
ear  let  him  hear  what  the  Spirit  saith  unto  the  churches.'' 
And  every  serious-minded  reader  is  inclined  to  ask, 
"  What  is  the  state  of  these  churches  now  ?  Have  they 
heeded  their  message,  and  do  they  still  exist  and  flour- 
ish, or  are  they  swept  from  the  face  of  the  earth?" 

The  Rev.  David  Lindsay,  English  chaplain  at  Con- 
stantinople, had  visited  these  places  in  18 15,  carrying  with 
him  a  few  scriptures,  but  our  travelers  were  going  with 
the  additional  advantages  of  having  more  and  better 
books  and  a  better  knowledge  of  the  language  of  the  peo- 
ple. Of  the  church  at  Smyrna  little  need  be  said.  The 
messa2:e  of  the  Lord  to  it  contained  no  rebuke  nor  threat : 
"I  know  thy  works  and  tribulation  and  poverty  (but  thou 
art  rich).  Fear  none  of  those  things  which  thou  shalt 
suffer.  Be  thou  faithful  unto  death,  and  I  will  give  thee 
a  crown  of  life.''  So  Smyrna  has  survived  the  general 
desolation  that  has  come  upon  the  other  cities. 

After  leaving  Smyrna  the  brethren  first  visited  the 
site  of  the  "  church  in  Pergamos,"  fifty  miles  north  of 
Smyrna.  Here  they  found  ruins  of  theatres,  and  of 
temples.  Christian  and  heathen,  and  particularly  the  vast 
granite  foundations  of  the  defensive  wall  of  an  old  castle. 
All  these  antiquities  showed  that  Pergamos  was  once  a 
strong  and  populous  city.  It  was  supposed  to  have  still 
a  population  of  more  than  fifteen  thousand  souls,  mostly 
Turks.  The  Greeks  and  Armenians  had  each  a  church, 
and  the  Jews  a  synagogue.  The  first  of  these  had  a 
school  of  twenty  boys  connected  with  it,  taught  by  one 
of  the  priests.     The  explorers  visited   also  the  other 


MODERN    TIIYATIRA. 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS.  25 

priests,  and  one,  to  whom  they  gave  a  New  Testament, 
read  to  them  what  the  Spirit  had  said  "  to  the  angel  of 
the  church  at  Pergamos/^ 

From  this  northern  extremity  of  their  circuit  the 
travelers  take  their  course  in  a  south-east  direction  to 
examine  the  remains  of  the  church  in  Thyatira,  the  city 
of  Lydia,  the  seller  of  purple.  Acts  xvi.  14. 

They  reached  the  place  at  the  close  of  tlie  second  day 
from  Pergamos,  after  crossing  an  extensive  plain  and 
seeing  a  number  of  villages. 

Mr.  Fisk  writes :  "  We  had  a  letter  of  introduction 
from  a  Greek  in  Smyrna  to  Economo,  the  bishop's 
procurator,  and  a  principal  man  among  the  Greeks  in 
this  town.  This  morning  w^e  sent  the  letter,  and  he 
immediately  called  upon  us.  We  then  conversed  some 
time  respecting  the  town.  He  says  the  Turks  have 
destroyed  all  remnants  of  the  ancient  church,  and  even 
the  place  where  it  stood  is  now^  unknown.  At  present 
there  are  in  the  town  one  thousand  houses  for  which 
taxes  are  paid  to  the  government. 

"  Thyatira  is  situated  near  a  small  river,  in  the  centre 
of  an  extensive  plain.  At  the  distance  of  three  or  four 
miles  it  is  almost  completely  surrounded  by  mountains. 
The  houses  are  low,  many  of  them  of  mud  or  earth.  Ex- 
cepting the  governor's  palace,  there  is  scarcely  a  decent 
house  in  the  place.  The  streets  are  narrow  and  dirty, 
and  everything  indicates  poverty  and  degradation."  * 

The   prevailing   language   of   the   place   among    all 

*  Since  the  time  of  tliis  visit  there  hiis  been  instituted  in  Thyatira 
a  growing  Protestant  church  with  an  educated  preacher.  "We  may 
hope  that  the  Master  will  be  able  to  say  at  the  last,  "  I  know  thy 
faith,  and  thy  patience,  and  thy  works,  and  the  last  to  be  more  than 
the  first." 
3 


26  BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

classes  was  Turkish.  The  modern  Greek  was,  how- 
ever, understood  by  some  of  that  nation.  Economo 
spoke  with  gratitude  of  the  copy  of  the  Greek  Testa- 
ment which  Mr.  Lindsay  left  with  them  five  years 
before.  The  Turks  had  nine  places  of  worship,  and 
the  Greeks  and  Armenians  one  each.  Of  the  schools, 
one  of  fifty  boys  was  taught  by  a  priest,  another  of 
twenty,  by  a  layman,  to  each  of  which  were  given  a  few 
tracts.  For  two  or  three  other  private  schools  were 
also  left  tracts,  and  a  co23y  of  the  Testament  for  the 
priests. 

On  the  morning  of  November  11,  after  calling  in  a 
while  upon  the  thirty  worshipers  in  the  Armenian 
church,  the  two  travelers  began  their  journey  to  Sardis. 

Passing  the  village  of  Marmora,  containing  five  hun- 
dred houses,  and  having  crossed  a  vastly  extended  plain, 
they  reached,  at  the  foot  of  Mount  Tmolus,  the  great 
capital  of  the  Lydian  kings,  the  city  of  the  far-famed 
Croesus  and  scene  of  the  private  quarrel  between  the 
two  Roman  republicans,  Brutus  and  Cassius. 

It  was  the  last  day  of  the  week.  They  liad  traveled 
ten  hours  from  Thyatira,  and  the  best  place  for  this 
company  of  five  men  to  lodge  in  for  the  Sabbath  was  a 
room  ten  feet  square  in  the  hut  of  a  Turk — a  hut  whose 
floor  and  walls  were  earth,  and  its  roof  of  the  same 
material,  with  grass  growing  upon  it.  Not  a  chair 
or  table  was  to  be  seen,  and  the  proprietor  seemed 
to  have  nothing  to  live  upon  but  his  pipe  and  his 
coifee ! 

In  the  morning,  after  their  devotions,  they  took  some 
tracts  and  a  Testament,  and  went  to  a  neighboring  mill 
where  three  or  four  Greeks  were  living.  The  mill  was 
in  full  operation,  as  on  a  week  day.     They  found  two  of 


BIBLE    WORK    IN   BIBLE   LANDS.  27 

the  men,  with  whom  they  read  and  conversed,  and  in 
the  upper  part  of  the  mill  they  had  their  usual  Sabbath- 
day  service,  attended,  as  it  would  seem,  by  these  native 
Greeks  and  their  own  traveling  company.  They  wept 
as  they  prayed  among  the  ruins  of  this  great  and  famous 
city  and  while  they  sang  the  seventy-fourth  Psalm, 

"  How  long,  eternal  God,  how  long, 
Shall  men  of  pride  blaspheme  ?" 

Here  were  once  a  few  names  which  had  not  defiled 
their  garments.  These  are  now  walking  with  their 
Redeemer  "in  white."  But, alas!  the  church  as  a  body 
had  only  a  name  to  live  while  they  were  dead.  They 
had  not  an  ear  to  hear  the  voice  of  the  divine  admoni- 
tion. They  did  not  strengthen  the  things  that  were 
ready  to  die,  wherefore  their  candlestick  has  been 
removed  out  of  its  place. 

The  next  morning  the  brethren  went  out  to  view 
more  particularly  the  ruins  of  the  place.  They  saw  the 
decayed  walls  of  two  churches,  of  the  market  and  of  an 
ancient  palace.  Two  marble  columns  were  still  stand- 
ing, thirty  feet  high  and  six  feet  in  diameter,  and  frag- 
ments of  similar  pillars  lay  scattered  on  the  ground. 
Mr.  Chandler,  who  was  there  sixty  years  before  them, 
found  five  pillars  then  standing  instead  of  two.  On  a 
high  hill  were  the  remains  of  an  old  castle  whose  walls 
were  still  very  strong. 

There  is  not  now  a  single  Christian  family  in  the 
village.  Three  grist-mills  are  kept  in  operation  by 
nine  or  ten  Greek  men  and  boys,  but  none  of  them  with 
families. 

The  fourth  of  the  "  Seven  Churches  "  visited  by  our 
travelers  was  Philadelphia. 


28  BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

But  tlie  Turks  did  not  like  this  name.  It  had  too 
much  Greek  in  it,  and  so  they  called  it  Ala  Shehr — 
Beautiful  City.  It  was  still  honored  by  being  the 
residence  of  a  Greek  archbishop.  This  prelate  had 
been  in  office  but  a  few  years,  although  himself  an  aged 
man.  Formerly  he  had  a  bishop  under  him,  but  at  this 
time  not  one.  His  diocese  included  Sardis  on  the  west 
and  Laodicea  on  the  east,  but  in  it  there  were  not  more 
than  six  or  seven  hundred  Greek  houses,  and  about 
twenty  priests.  In  Philadelphia  there  were  only  five 
churches  in  use,  but  twenty  others  which  were  either  too 
small  or  too  old  to  be  used  for  worship.  The  houses  in 
the  city  numbered  three  thousand,  two  hundred  and 
fifty  of  them  Greek.  The  visitors  gave  the  archbishop 
some  tracts  and  a  Testament.  He  had  had  a  Testament 
years  before  from  Mr.  Lindsay,  but  had  given  it  away. 
They  afterward  dined  with  the  archbishop.  It  chanced 
to  be  on  a  fast  day,  when  the  Greeks  eat  no  meat. 
"The  dinner  consisted  of  rice,  soup,  boiled  beans, 
several  plates  of  herbs  and  a  rich  variety  of  fruits, 
with  bread  and  cheese,  and  a  plenty  of  rakee  (brandy), 
rum  and  wine  " — a  somewhat  singular  dinner  for  a  fast 
day. 

A  school  of  thirty  boys  was  taught  in  the  place  by  a 
young  man.  A  small  library  was  connected  with  the 
school,  in  which  was  an  old  copy  of  the  Greek  Testa- 
ment, the  date  and  title-page  lost,  also  a  translation  of 
Goldsmith's  "  Greece,"  in  modern  Greek.  The  Turkish 
was  the  prevailing  language  of  this  place,  so  that  the 
tracts  in  Greek  were  not  much  in  demand. 

One  of  the  six  mosques  of  the  j^lace  was  pointed  out 
not  only  as  having  been  a  very  ancient  church,  but  as 
the  very  one  occupied  by  the  Christians  of  the  time  of 


3I0DKKN    l'lllIiAL)i:LPniA. 


8* 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS.  31 

John.  A  sad  relic  of  barbarous  antiquity  was  found 
about  a  mile  west  of  the  town — a  wall  built  of  human 
bones.  The  structure  was  near  thirty  rods  in  length, 
eight  feet  thick  and  ten  high.  According  to  tradition, 
there  was  once  a  church  dedicated  to  St.  John  near  this 
spot,  and  when  a  vast  multitude  were  assembled  there 
to  celebrate  his  festival,  the  enemy  suddenly  fell  upon 
them  and  slew  them  all.  Their  bodies  were  not  burned 
nor  buried,  but  piled  up  in  a  long  line  as  the  bones  now 
lie.  The  wall  now  remaining  seemed  to  be  principally 
if  not  wholly  composed  of  bones.  On  breaking  off 
pieces,  some  small  bones  were  found  almost  entire. 

The  last  place  to  be  visited  in  this  direction  was  the 
site  of  the  church  of  Laodicea.  But  on  account  of  ill- 
ness, under  which  Mr.  Parsons  had  been  suffering  for 
more  than  a  week,  the  travelers  reluctantly  gave  up 
their  hope  of  completing  their  attempted  excursion. 
The  disappointment,  however,  was  felt  the  less  keenly, 
as  they  were  assured  that  Laodicea  was  at  that  time 
almost  nothing  but  ruins,  and  that  that  part  of  the 
country  presented  very  little  opportunity  for  evangelical 
labor.  They  therefore  turned  their  course  directly  to- 
ward Smyrna,  where  in  four  days  more  they  arrived  in 
health,  having  accomplished  their  journey  in  just  three 
weeks. 

To  complete  the  account  of  the  seven  churches,  it  may 
properly  be  added  here  that  Mr.  Fisk  on  a  subsequent 
occasion  made  a  visit  to  the  ruins  of  Ephesus. 

At  the  mean  Turkish  village  of  Aiasaluk,  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  from  the  old  city  and  built  from  its  fragments, 
Mr.  Fisk  visited  a  building  now  called  the  Church  of 
St.  John,  supposed  to  have  been  once  a  church,  after- 
ward a  mosque,  but  now  a  perfect   wreck.     He   saw 


32  BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS. 

within  its  walls  some  immensely  large  and  high  pillars 
of  red  granite,  said  to  have  been  taken  from  the  temple 
of  Diana.  The  ancient  city  itself  seems  to  have  been 
bounded  on  the  east  by  a  small  hill,  on  the  northern 
side  of  which  was  the  circus  or  stadium,  having  a  length 
from  east  to  west  of  forty  rods.  The  north  or  lower 
side  was  supported  by  a  wall  on  arches  which  still  re- 
main. The  area  where  the  races  were  run  was  now  a 
field  of  wheat.  At  the  west  end  was  the  gate.  The 
walls  adjoining  it  were  still  standing,  and  of  consider- 
able height  and  strength.  The  same  was  true  of  the 
gateway  of  the  famous  theatre  (Acts  xix.  29),  the  site 
of  which  was  still  plainly  visible  only  a  few  yards 
southward.  Many  columns  and  finely  sculptured  orna- 
ments of  buildings  lay  heaped  among  the  ruins,  but  not 
a  single  inhabitant  was  visible. 


CHAPTER    II. 

Separation  of  Messrs,  Fisk  and  Parsons — Voyage  of  Mr.  Parsons  to 
Jaffa — Doings  at  Jerusalem — Greek  rebellion — Destruction  of 
Scio-T-Visit  at  Samos — Mr.  Parsons  ill  at  Syra — At  Smyrna — 
Voyage  to  Egypt — Death  of  Mr.  Parsons. 

MORE  than  a  year  had  gone  by  since  our  two  trav- 
elers and  sojourners  among  strangers  set  out 
upon  their  great  work  of  benevolence.  They  had 
labored  together  with  one  heart  and  one  mind,  by  sea 
and  by  land.  Not  for  a  single  night  or  a  single  day 
had  they  been  separated.  But  now  they  felt  themselves 
irresistibly  drawn  in  different  directions.  It  was  time 
that  a  movement  was  made  toward  Jerusalem,  the  place 
of  their  ultimate  destination.  But  on  the  other  hand, 
as  Paul  felt  himself  bound  to  tarry  yet  a  while  at  Ephesus 
because  of  the  effectual  door  that  the  Lord  had  opened 
before  him,  so  these  brethren  regarded  the  opening  for 
labor  in  the  city  of  Smyrna  and  vicinity  as  pleading 
strongly  for  a  continuance  of  the  work  at  that  place. 
It  was  therefore  decided  that  Mr.  Fisk  should  remain  in 
Smyrna,  and  that  his  colleague,  with  a  native  attendant, 
should  proceed  directly  to  Jerusalem.  The  separation 
took  place  on  the  5th  of  December.  A  passage  had 
been  engaged  for  Mr.  Parsons  on  board  a  Greek  vessel 
carrying  pilgrims  to  Jaffa.  The  two  brethren  went  on 
board  together.  There  they  sang,  "  Guide  me,  O  thou 
great  Jehovah,"  united  in  prayer,  commended  each  other 
to  the  divine  protection  and  gave  the  parting  hand. 

33 


34  BIBLE   WORK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

The  vessel  touched  at  the  harbor  of  Scio,  and  afforded 
Mr.  Parsons  another  and  last  opportunity  of  seeing  the 
good  Professor  Bambas,  who  received  his  old  pupil  most 
affectionately,  listened  attentively  to  the  narrative  of  his 
late  tour  among  the  churches,  and  dismissed  him  with 
his  renewed  blessing  on  the  work  in  which  he  was  en- 
gaged. 

The  pilgrims  proceeded  onward  in  their  voyage  in  the 
same  path  that  was  traversed  by  Paul  in  his  last  voyage 
toward  Jerusalem,  passing  in  sight  of  Ephesus,  and  Mile- 
tus, and  Patmos,  touching  at  Samos,  Rhodes  and  the  coast 
cities  of  Cyprus,  viewing,  at  short  distance,  Mt.  Lebanon, 
Beirut,  Sidon,  Tyre,  Ptolemais,  Mt.  Carmel,  Csesarea, 
and  at  last  reaching  Jaffa,  their  destined  port,  on  the 
10th  of  February.  The  voyage  had  been  long  and 
somewhat  tedious,  from  contrary  winds  and  frequent 
detentions  in  harbor.  But  the  gospel  laborer  went  on 
with  his  work,  reading,  preaching  and  discussing  the 
truths  of  God's  word,  and  he  had  an  attentive  audience, 
for  they  had  nothing  to  do  but  to  listen.  Some  of  them 
received  lasting  impressions,  which  they  manifested  by 
searching  out  the  preacher  after  they  arrived  in  Jerusa- 
lem and  putting  themselves  in  the  way  of  obtaining  ad- 
ditional instruction. 

At  Jaffa,  where  they  landed,  the  English  consul,  hav- 
ing heard  of  Mr.  Parsons'  approach,  sent  his  son  and 
his  dragoman  to  receive  him  at  the  beach  and  conduct 
him  to  his  house,  offering  him  a  place  in  his  family  and 
every  assistance  he  could  render.  Mr.  Parsons  also 
made  the  acquaintance  of  the  Russian  consul,  to  whom 
he  brought  letters  of  recommendation.  That  gentleman 
showed  himself  very  kind  and  friendly,  gave  him  liberty 
to  occujiy,  while  at  Jerusalem,  a  room  which  he  had  at 


BIBLE    WORK    IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 


35 


his  disposal  in  one  of  the  convents,  and  invited  him  to 
accompany  him  in  the  spring  in  a  tour  which  he  in- 
tended to  take  in  Mount  Lebanon.  He  also  offered  to 
take  charge  of  all  letters  and  packages  from  abroad  di- 
rected to  his  care  for  Mr.  Parsons,  and  forward  them 
immediately  to  Jerusalem. 


JAFFA,  THE  MODERK  JOPPA. 


Jaffa  or  Joppa*  was  always  the  seaport  of  Jerusalem, 
and  nothing  but  the  lack  of  a  good  harbor  for  ships 
prevented  it  from  being  one  of  the  most  splendid  cities 
of  the  coast.  It  is  still  the  most  common  landing-place 
for  pilgrims  on  the  way  to  the  holy  city,  and  at  the  time 

*  This  place  is  often  alluded  to  in  the  Scriptures,  both  of  the  Old 
Testament  and  the  New  Testament,  though  in  the  former  it  is  written 
Japho  and  the  latter  Joppe.  The  cedars  from  Lebanon  for  Solo- 
mon's temple  came  from  Tyre  to  Japho.  Jonah  fled  from  the  pres- 
ence of  the  Lord  to  Japho.  Peter  raised  Dorcas  to  life  at  Joppe  by 
the  seaside.     Cornelius  sent  men  to  Joppe  to  invite  liim  to  Cuesarea. 


36  BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS. 

of  Mr.  Parsons'  visit  offered  strong  inducements  to  be 
made  a  missionary  station  and  depot.  The  English 
consul  was  favorable  to  the  distribution  of  the  Scrip- 
tures, as  were  also  the  Russian  consul  and  his  proteges, 
the  Greek  inhabitants,  and  besides,  the  annual  stream 
of  pilgrims  might  there  be  supplied  with  the  saving 
word  both  before  and  after  their  visit  to  the  holy  city. 

After  some  detentions  by  the  rain,  Mr.  Parsons,  in 
company  with  the  dragoman  of  the  Russian  consul  as  a 
guide,  set  off  on  his  way  to  Jerusalem.  As  they  were 
crossing  the  plain  of  Sharon,  the  path  led  them  amid 
cultivated  fields  of  wheat  and  barley.  Numerous  herds 
of  cattle  and  flocks  of  sheep  and  goats  were  seen  feeding 
in  every  direction.  Four  hours'  ride  brought  them  to  the 
ancient  Arimathea.  On  the  north,  in  plain  sight  of  the 
pilgrim  coming  from  Jaffa,  was  the  village  of  Lydda, 
where  Peter  cured  Eneas  of  his  eight  years'  palsy,  the 
consequence  of  which  was  that  "  all  the  inhabitants  of 
Lydda  and  Saron  (or  Sharon)  turned  to  the  Lord." 

The  travelers  were  invited  to  lodge  in  the  Greek  mon- 
astery. They  found  its  president  a  man  of  more  than 
common  intelligence  who  had  spent  many  years  at  Je- 
rusalem, and  was  now  stationed  in  this  place  to  provide 
for  pilgrims.  The  village  had  two  other  monasteries,  a 
Greek  church  and  several  mosques.* 

*Dr.  Edward  D.  Clarke,  in  1801,  writes:  "There  is  not  a  spot  in 
the  holy  land  more  fertile  than  the  plain  around  Rama  (Arimathea). 
It  resembles  a  continual  garden.  Rama  and  Lydda  were  the  two 
first  cities  of  the  holy  land  that  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Christians 
when  the  army  of  the  Crusaders  arrived.  Rama  was  then  in  its 
greatest  splendor,  a  magnificent  city,  filled  with  abundance  of  all  the 
luxuries  of  the  East.  It  was  exceedingly  populous,  adorned  with 
stately  buildings  and  well  fortified  with  walls  and  towers.  The  count 
of  Flanders  was  sent  with  five  hundred  cavalry  to  reconnoitre  the 
place  and  demand  its  surrender.    He  found  the  gates  open.     The  in- 


BIBLE    WOPwK    IX    BIBLE    LANDS.  37 

During  the  evening  several  friends  of  the  president 
called  to  see  Mr.  Parsons.  As  Mr.  Parsons  was  the  first 
man  they  had  seen  from  the  New  World,  they  had  a 
great  many  inquiries  to  make  of  him,  especially  on  the 
subject  of  religion.  Most  of  them  listened  with  atten- 
tion, and  said,  "It  is  well.'^ 

The  next  morning  they  resumed  their  way  toward 
Jerusalem.  They  had  yet  three  hours  to  go  before 
leaving  the  plain  to  enter  upon  the  "  hill  country  of 
Judea."  At  twelve  o'clock  they  came  to  the  village  of 
the  noted  Abu  Goosh,  a  powerful  sheikh  of  these  moun- 
tains who  demands  tribute  from  all  the  native  pilgrims, 
as  well  as  from  the  Jerusalem  convents  on  their  account. 
The  convents  are  dependent  to  such  an  extent  on  the 
patronage  and  gifts  of  such  as  come  to  them  from  abroad, 
and  the  sheikh  can  so  easily  close  up  the  passage  be- 
tween these  convents  and  their  port  of  entry,  that  they 
are  obliged  to  i^ay  even  large  sums,  at  times,  to  keep  up 
the  good  understanding  between  them.  Mr.  Parsons, 
on  the  present  occasion  traveling  with  an  imperial  fir- 
man, the  protection-paper  of  the  sultan,  and  in  company 
with  a  consul's  interpreter,  was  readily  excused  from  pay- 
ing the  tribute  money.  The  sheikh  even  invited  him  to 
tarry  and  take  some  refreshment,  by  which,  however, 
the  wily  Arab  may  have  expected  to  obtain  a  few  pias- 
ters as  a  present  which  he  did  not  dare  to  demand  in  the 
character  of  tribute. 

habitants  had  all  fled.  Tlie  jjlace  became  a  rendezvous  to  the  Chris- 
tians, who  remained  there  three  entire  days,  regaling  themselves 
upon  the  abundance  which  was  left  to  them  by  tlie  absentees.  Dur- 
ing tliis  time  Eobert  of  Normandy  Avas  elected  bishop  of  Rama  and 
Lydda,  the  whole  army  joining  in  thanksgiving  to  St.  George,  the 
martyr  and  patron  saint  of  Diospolis  (Lydda)  and  Eama,  to  whom  the 
auspicious  commencement  of  the  enterprise  was  attributed." 
4 


38  BIBLE   WORK   IN    BIBLE   LANDS. 

They  passed  on  a  couple  of  hours  and  began  to  ascend 
a  high  mountain,  and  in  two  hours  more  the  guide  ex- 
claimed, "  The  Mount  of  Olives  /"  The  holy  city  itself 
was  yet  covered  from  sight  by  intervening  hills.  "  The 
mountains  are  round  about  Jerusalem."  Whether 
coming  from  the  west  or  from  the  north,  the  traveler 
does  not  discover  the  city  till  he  is  close  upon  it.  In 
half  an  hour  more,  having  been  eleven  hours  on  the 
way,  the  company  entered  the  city.  They  found  Bishop 
Procopius,  to  whom  Mr.  Parsons  had  letters,  and  by 
him  were  directed  to  the  lodging-place  kindly  offered 
him  by  the  Russian  consul  at  Jaffa. 

Procopius  was  a  sort  of  vice-patriarch  at  Jerusalem. 
He  was  president  of  all  the  Greek  convents  or  monas- 
teries, and  was  one  of  the  foreign  agents  of  the  British 
and  Foreign  Bible  Society.  In  kindness  and  Christian 
sympathy  he  seems  to  have  been  another  Professor 
Bambas.  He  called  on  Mr.  Parsons  early  the  following 
day,  welcomed  him  to  all  the  privileges  of  the  monas- 
tery where  he  was,  and  repeated  his  readiness  to  aid 
him  in  his  work  to  the  extent  of  his  power.  Mr.  Par- 
sons presented  him  an  excellent  copy  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment in  Persian,  translated  by  the  lamented  Henry 
Martyn,  which  he  took  and  read  with  fluency. 

AVithin  a  few  days  Mr.  Parsons  visited  the  Church 
of  the  Holy  Sepulchre.  The  church  is  large,  and  covers 
not  only  the  sepulchre,  but  different  apartments  or 
chapels  for  five  or  six  separate  sects  of  Christians — 
Latins,  Greeks,  Armenians,  etc.  Near  the  middle  of 
the  building  is  a  large  open  area  surrounded  by  a  circle 
of  columns,  in  the  centre  of  which  is  the  small  edifice 
containing  the  tomb,  and  directly  over  it  is  tlie  im- 
mensely high  and  spacious  dome  of  the  church.     The 


BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  39 

small  edifice  measures  on  its  outside  twenty-nine  feet  by 
eighteen  and  a  half.  Within  it  are  two  apartments. 
In  the  inner  one,  on  the  riglit  hand,  is  the  tomb  or  sar- 
cophagus, covered  by  a  slab  of  marble  two  or  three  feet 
in  height;  on  the  left  is  a  space  where  three  or  four 
men  may  stand  or  kneel  and  meditate  upon  the  marble 
coffin  beside  them.  The  apartment  is  lighted  by  burn- 
ing lamps.  Mr.  Parsons  seems  to  have  entered  alone, 
and  while  he  was  standing  there  a  pilgrim  entered  who, 
at  the  sight  of  the  tomb,  wept  and  sobbed  as  over  the 
grave  of  a  parent. 

Mr.  Parsons  visited  the  Mount  of  Olives.  Crossing 
the  Kedron,  he  observes,  "  The  bed  of  the  stream  was 
perfectly  dry,  notwithstanding  the  late  copious  rains." 
Passing  through  the  place  where  must  have  been  the 
Garden  of  Gethsemane,  he  says,  "  In  fifteen  or  twenty 
minutes  we  reached  the  summit  of  the  Mount  of  Olives. 
Here  we  had  a  delightful  view  of  the  city,  and  also  of 
the  Dead  Sea.  Perhaps  no  place  in  the  world  com- 
mands a  finer  prospect  or  is  associated  with  events  more 
sacred  and  sublime.  ^  David  w^ent  up  by  the  side  of 
Mount  Olivet,  and  wept  as  he  went  up,  and  had  his 
head  covered,  and  he  w^ent  barefoot.'  On  the  east  side 
of  it  our  blessed  Saviour  raised  Lazarus  from  the  grave, 
and  on  the  west  he  endured  the  agony  of  Gethsemane. 
Here  he  beheld  the  city  and  wept  over  it.  From  ihis 
mount  he  was  at  one  time  conducted  to  Jerusalem  with 
shoutings  of  Hosanna  to  the  Son  of  David  !'  and  at  an- 
other with  the  cry  of  '  Crucify  him  !  crucify  him  !'  From 
this  spot  he  gave  his  last  commission :  '  Go  ye  into  all 
the  world  and  preach  the  gospel,'  and  then  ascended  and 
*sat  down  on  the  right  hand  of  the  majesty  on  higli.'" 

Procopius  estimated  the  number  of  Jews  in  Jerusalem 


40  BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

at  ten  thousand,  and  that  of  Christians  at  two  thousand. 
An  Armenian  of  distinction  told  him  there  were  in 
Jerusalem  sixty  families  of  Armenians,  and  in  Palestine 
four  monasteries  for  that  people,  one  each  in  Jerusalem, 
Bethlehem,  Kama  and  Jaffa,  and  that  there  was  an  Ar- 
menian church  on  Mount  Zion,  outside  of  the  city. 

Mr.  Parsons  found  and  visited  thirteen  Greek  monas- 
teries Avithin  the  walls  of  the  city,  besides  four  others. 
Catholic,  Armenian,  Syrian  and  Coptic.  In  Bethlehem 
and  other  places  in  the  neighborhood  were  found  six  or 
seven  more. 

Under  the  Greek  patriarchate  of  Jerusalem  were  thir- 
teen bishoprics,  viz.,  those  of  Petrea  or  Petra,  Nazareth, 
Lydda,  Gaza,  Philadelphia  (all  the  five  bishops  of  these 
places  reside  at  Jerusalem),  Csesarea,  Bashan,  Ptolemais, 
Bethlehem,  Neapolis  (Nablus),  Jaffa,  Mount  Tabor  and 
Mount  Sinai.  (The  bishop  of  the  last  place  resides  at 
Constantinople.) 

On  Friday,  April  20,  were  services  suitable  for  the 
anniversary  of  the  crucifixion.  The  following  day,  the 
Saviour  being  supposed  to  be  lying  in  his  grave,  there 
was  celebrated  around  that  spot  the  disgraceful  exhi- 
bition of 

THE    HOLY    FIRE.. 

"The  afternoon,'^  says  Mr.  Parsons,  "was  a  memor- 
able season.  Every  apartment  of  the  church  was  crowd- 
ed with  Turks,  Jews,  Christians  and  people  '  from  every 
nation  under  heaven.^  These  assembled  to  witness  the 
supposed  miraculous  descent  of  the  Holy  Spirit  under 
the  similitude  of  fir^e.  It  is  estimated  that  at  least  five 
thousand  people  were  present.  The  governor  of  the 
city  and  the  Turlvs  of  rank  were  there.     A  very  con- 


BIBLE   WORK    IX    BIBLE   LANDS.  41 

venlent  place  was  allotted  to  me  to  observe  distinctly 
every  ceremony.  About  twelve  o'clock  a  body  of  Arab 
Christians,  natives  of  Palestine,  were  admitted  to  per- 
form their  part  in  the  duties  of  the  holy  week.  They 
began  by  running  round  the  holy  sepulchre  with  all  the 
frantic  airs  of  madmen,  clapping  their  hands,  throwing 
their  caps  into  the  air,  cuffing  each  other's  ears,  walking 
half  naked  upon  the  shoulders  of  their  companions, 
hallooing  or  rather  shrieking  to  the  utmost  extent  of 
their  voices.  This  was  the  exhibition  to  five  thousand 
people  who  were  in  expectation  of  soon  witnessing  the 
descent  of  the  holy  fire. 

"About  one  o'clock  the  Turks  entered  the  small 
apartment  of  the  Holy  Tomb,  extinguished  the  lamps 
of  the  church,  closed  the  door  and  set  a  watch.  I  was 
determined  myself  to  enter  the  sepulchre  with  the 
Russian  consul,  to  see  from  what  direction  the  fire  pro- 
ceeded. But  they  replied :  ^  The  Turks  will  not  give 
permission  to  strangers  to  enter.'  Shortly  after,  the 
principal  Greek  priest  entered  the  sepulchre,  attended 
by  the  Armenian  patriarch,  and  also  by  the  Syrian 
patriarch.  The  first,  however,  entered  the  second  apart- 
ment unattended.  Every  eye  was  fixed  as  the  time  ap- 
proached. As  we  stood  Avaiting,  suddenly  there  darted 
from  the  sepulchre  a  flaming  torch,  which  was  carried 
almost  instantaneously  to  a  distant  part  of  the  assembly. 
I  stood  among  the  first  to  receive  the  fire,  and  to  2)rove 
that,  as  to  its  power  of  burning,  it  contained  no  extra- 
ordinary qualities.  The  zeal  of  the  pilgrims  to  get  a 
part  of  the  fire  before  the  superior  qualities  departed, 
as  they  say  that,  in  a  few  minutes,  it  burns  like  other 
fire,  endangered  the  lives  of  many.  Several  were  well- 
uigh  crushed  to  death.  Some  lighted  caudles,  others 
4* 


42  BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

tow,  with  a  view  to  preserve  a  part  of  its  influence. 
Some  held  the  blaze  to  their  faces,  saying:  ^  It  does 
not  burn/  Others  said,  ^  Now,  Lord,  I  believe ;  for- 
give my  former  unbelief.'  After  this  the  pilgrims 
retired,  abundantly  satisfied  with  what  they  had  seen 
and  heard.'' 

Among  the  last  things,  Mr.  Parsons  with  a  company 
paid  a  visit  to  the  Jordan.  They  set  out  from  Jerusalem 
at  nine  o'clock,  and  "  at  four  p.  M.  pitched  their  tent 
on  the  plains  of  Jericho."  The  village  was  then  in- 
habited by  about  three  hundred  Arabs.  They  were 
awaked  at  two  in  the  morning,  and  at  five  stood  upon 
the  banks  of  the  Jordan.  ^'  The  current,  in  consequence 
of  the  great  rains,  was  rapid  and  violent.  The  banks 
of  the  river  were  ten  feet  at  least  above  the  level  of 
the  water.  The  pilgrims  all  rushed  into  the  stream  and 
plunged  themselves  beneath  the  sacred  waters."  From 
the  point  where  they  struck  the  river  they  proceeded 
three  or  four  miles  to  the  south,  through  a  desert 
of  sand,  to  the  Dead  Sea,  satisfied  themselves  with  the 
taste  of  its  bitter  waters,  and  then  set  their  faces  again 
toward  Jerusalem. 

Procopius  kept  a  depository  of  the  Scriptures,  and 
had  them  for  sale  in  the  different  monasteries.  Besides 
what  he  might  have  disposed  of  in  the  city,  Mr.  Parsons 
had  sold  about  a  hundred  Greek  psalters,  and  he  had 
sold  since  leaving  Smyrna  near  fifty  Greek  Testaments. 
Many  applications  had  been  made  for  Armenian  Testa- 
ments, of  which  unfortunately  he  had  almost  no  supply. 
He  had  distributed  more  than  three  thousand  tracts, 
some  of  which  were  destined  to  go  a  thousand  miles 
from  the  Holy  City.  In  every  instance  the  books  had 
been  received  not  only  without  hesitation,  but  with  a 


BIBLE   ^VORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  43 

smile  of  gratitude.  A  pilgrim  from  Caramania  (aDcient 
Lycaonia)  engaged  to  carry  a  supply  to  school  teachers 
and  priests,  saying  they  would  be  received  with  thank- 
fulness. To  some  Armenians  who  applied  for  tracts 
Mr.  Parsons  said,  "  Perhaps  some  of  my  friends  will  pass 
through  Armenia  with  Bibles  and  tracts  for  sale."  "We 
shall  rejoice,"  said  they,  "and  all  will  rejoice  when  they 
arrive." 

Whilst  the  pilgrims  were  preparing  to  start  on  their 
return  journey,  there  burst  upon  them  the  news  of  the 
great  rebellion  of  the  Greek  nation  against  the  Turkish 
government.  The  Greeks  in  Palestine  were  thrown 
into  the  greatest  confusion  by  an  order  from  govern- 
ment to  surrender  their  arms,  as  also  by  the  arrest  of 
the  Russian  consul  at  Jaffa.  Mr.  Parsons  hoped  to 
find  a  place  of  quiet  in  some  one  of  the  islands  of  the 
Archipelago.  On  the  8th  of  May  he  bade  adieu  to  the 
Beloved  City,  hoping  and  praying,  in  the  words  of 
David,  "  If  I  shall  find  favor  in  the  eyes  of  the  Lord, 
he  will  bring  me  again,  and  show  me  both  it  and  his 
habitation."  In  six  hours  he  Avas  at  Rama,  and  at 
Jaffa  before  sunset.  At  the  gate  of  the  city  he  was 
stopped  by  two  Turkish  soldiers  in  front  of  several 
cannon.  One  of  the  two  men  stood  at  his  right  hand, 
the  other  at  his  left,  with  pistols  and  swords.  In  half 
an  hour  came  an  order  from  the  governor  for  him  to 
enter. 

The  English  consul  received  him  into  his  family,  and 
invited  him  to  tarry  till  some  fuller  information  should 
be  received  respecting  the  disturbances.  He  called  im- 
mediately on  the  family  of  the  Russian  consul,  and 
found  it  in  a  most  distressing  situation.  The  consul 
himself  had,  only  a  few  hours  before,  secretly  fled  from 


44  BIBLE    WOEK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

the  city  and  set  sail  for  Constantinople.  This  he  did,  as 
they  said,  "  to  save  himself  from  the  bloody  knife  of  the 
Tark.^' 

Mr.  Parsons  embarked  the  next  day  in  a  Greek  vessel 
bound  to  Scio,  having  for  his  fellow-passengers  the 
presiding  priest  of  the  church  at  Gethsemane  and  a 
multitude  of  pilgrims.  Among  these  great  alarm  had 
been  excited  by  the  report  that  the  Russian  consul  at 
Acre  had  been  beheaded.  The  next  morning  they  were 
in  the  port  of  Paphos,  in  Cyprus.  Two  miles  distant 
was  the  residence  of  the  bishop,  who,  hearing  of  their 
arrival,'  sent  bread  and  cheese  and  wine  for  their  refresh- 
ment. They  passed  the  day  and  night  on  shore,  sleep- 
ing upon  a  bed  of  beanpods.  Some  days  after  this  they 
met  with  a  vessel  (Greek)  having  a  flag  entirely  black, 
with  the  exception  of  a  white  cross  in  the  middle  and  a 
red  crescent  beneath  it. 

"We  were  soon  hailed,''  says  Mr.  Parsons,  "and 
ordered  to  lower  our  sails.  The  captain  of  the  vessel, 
with  a  number  of  soldiers,  came  on  board,  ordered  our 
flag  (which  was  the  Turkish)  to  be  taken  down,  and 
then,  with  the  utmost  contempt,  trampled  it  under  foot, 
pronouncing  a  curse  on  him  who  should  ever  raise  it. 
'We  do  not  take  your  vessel,'  said  they,  'nor  do  we 
wish  to  molest  Greek  pilgrims,  but  we  seek  the  blood  of 
Turks.  They  have  executed  our  patriarch  and  our 
bishops,  and  we  are  determined  to  stand  in  defence  of 
our  lives  and  of  our  religion.  All  the  Greeks  in  the 
Morea  and  on  the  islands  are  in  arms.  If  you  are 
arrested  by  a  Turkish  vessel,  you  must  expect  immediate 
execution.'  It  is  impossible  to  describe  the  consterna- 
tion which  now  prevailed  among  the  pilgrims.  The 
women  especially  lifted  up  their  voices  and  wept.    From 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  45 

our  vessel  the  black  flag  ship  went  in  search  of  anotlier 
pilgrim  vessel  which  had  accompanied  us  from  Jaffa. 
There  they  found  two  Turks  and  about  thirty  Jews. 
They  were  all  arrested  and  put  in  confinement.  The 
Turks  were  to  be  beheaded  immediately  and  the  Jews 
reserved  for  trial.  Our  pilgrims  stood  on  deck  to  wit- 
ness the  dreadful  scene,  but  we  were  soon  at  too  great  a 
distance  to  see  what  took  place.  During  the  day  we 
saw  many  other  vessels  with  a  similar  flag.  Prepara- 
tions were  now  made  on  deck  for  self-defence.  The 
cannons  were  loaded  and  the  marines  supplied  with 
arms." 

Soon  after,  they  came  to  anchor  in  the  port  of  Stam- 
phalia.  The  same  day  arrived  two  other  vessels,  one 
of -which  was  a  prize  taken  by  the  Greeks  from  the 
Turks.  The  next  day  Mr.  Parsons  visited  a  school  in 
the  island  and  distributed  fifty  tracts  among  the  scholars. 
He  had  never  observed  so  great  a  desire  to  receive  re- 
ligious books,  and  never  had  more  pleasing  evidence 
that  they  would  be  read  with  attention.  "Send  us 
books,"  said  these  poor  islanders ;  "  we  w^ant  a  supply 
for  our  families — for  our  children." 

As  they  proceeded  on  their  voyage  they  were  hailed 
by  another  man-of-war,  the  captain  of  wdiich  assured 
them  that  they  could  not  enter  the  harbor  of  Scio  nor 
the  harbor  of  Smyrna,  that  the  college  of  Scio  was  broken 
up,  and  that  Professor'  Bambas  had  fled  just  in  time  to 
save  his  life.  The  fate  of  Scio  was  one  horrible  to  relate. 
The  sultan  of  the  Turks  had  much  of  the  lion  in  his 
nature,  and  when  he  became  fully  assured  of  the  ex- 
tended plot  of  the  Greeks  against  his  government,  he 
was  transported  with  the  feeling  of  revenge.  He  deter- 
mined on  giving  a  blow  which  might  strike  dismay  into 


46  BIBLE    WORK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

every  Grecian  heart.  He  began  by  cutting  off  the  liead 
of  his  chief  interpreter  and  those  of  ten  of  the  most 
noted  and  influential  Greeks  of  Constantinople.  Next 
he  fell  upon  the  priesthood.  The  venerable  Patriarch 
Gregory,  universally  respected  for  his  blameless  life  and 
reputed  piety,  was  seized  on  coming  out  of  his  church 
on  Easter  Sunday,  dragged  to  his  palace  and  hung  up 
like  a  dog  over  the  gate,  after  which  liis  body  was  taken 
down,  trailed  by  the  heels  through  the  streets  and  thrown 
into  the  sea.  Priests  and  bishops  followed  in  their  turn, 
and  the  promiscuous  murder  and  burning  of  houses  and 
villages  of  all  Greeks  was  inaugurated.  This,  of  course, 
wrought  up  the  Greeks  to  a  fury. 

But  the  people  of  Scio,  being  comparatively  prosper- 
ous and  happy,  were  unwilling  to  engage  in  a  struggle 
where  success  was  so  very  doubtful,  and  where  failure 
would,  to  them,  be  unavoidable  ruin.  Nevertheless,  a 
war  party  came  to  them  from  the  island  of  Samos,  by 
whose  persuasions  and  acts  the  people  became  at  length 
compromised,  and  war  was  declared  by  the  Turks 
against  them.  Suddenly,  on  the  11th  of  April,  the 
Turkish  fleet  was  seen  steering  toward  the  port,  con- 
sisting of  seven  ships  of  the  line  and  twenty-five  frigates 
and  corvettes.  With  these  the  captain  pasha  approached 
the  town,  and  immediately  opened  his  broadsides  upon 
it.  Most  of  the  inhabitants  fled ;  only  about  five  thou- 
sand remained,  trusting  to  the  mercy  of  the  Turks.  The 
pasha,  with  six  thousand  men,  took  possession  of  the 
town,  and,  with  assurance-;  of  safety,  invited  all  the 
fugitives  to  return  to  their  homes  and  their  occupations. 
Many  complied,  and  about  one  thousand  entered  into 
the  convent  of  St.  Meenas.  On  the  fourth  day  the 
pasha  ordered  the  thousand  men  of  that  convent  to  be 


BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  47 

brought  out,  one  by  one,  before  liim,  and  each  one,  as 
soon  as  he  appeared,  was  put  to  death.  Then  came  an 
order  for  tlie  general  slaughter  of  all  that  remained  in 
the  city  and  island.  Some  hid  themselves  in  caves, 
some  fled  to  the  mountains  and  some  found  means  to 
escape  to  the  neighboring  islands.  Some  well-favored 
men,  women  and  children  were  saved  to  be  sold  as 
slaves.  Out  of  eighty  thousand  persons,  it  was  esti- 
mated that  twenty  thousand  were  slain.  The  dwellings 
of  the  people,  the  churches,  the  convents  and  the  flourish- 
ing college  were  broken  open  and  pillaged,  and  plunder 
in  immense  quantities  was  taken  on  board  the  ships. 
Among  those  who  escaped  the  sword  of  the  Turks  was 
the  noble-minded,  kind-hearted  Professor  Bambas,  who, 
though  driven  from  his  high  station  in  Scio,  still  lived 
a  powerful  advocate  of  the  Bible  and  of  its  universal 
distribution. 

Thus  the  prospects  of  Mr.  Parsons  became  more  and 
more  beclouded  and  embarrassing.  The  vessel  touching 
at  Samos,  Mr.  Parsons  reported  himself  to  the  English 
consul,  and  accepted  an  invitation  from  him  to  remain 
a  few  weeks  in  his  family. 

Mr.  Parsons  stayed  at  Samos  four  weeks,  and  then 
sailed  in  a  Genoese  vessel  to  the  island  of  Syra.  Here 
again  he  was  welcomed  into  the  family  of  the  English 
consul,  and  as  the  island  was  under  the  protection  of  the 
French,  he  rested  from  the  turmoil  and  perils  of  war. 
But  he  had  not  enjoyed  the  privileges  of  his  situation 
many  weeks  before  he  was  seized  by  a  disease  which 
brought  him  to  the  gates  of  the  grave,  and  from  which 
he  was  not  sufficiently  recovered  to  be  removed  until 
the  middle  of  November.  On  the  21st  of  that  month 
he  set  sail  for  Smyrna.     He  remained  in  Smyrna  more 


48  BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

than  a  month,  without,  however,  tliat  improvement  in 
health  which  was  hoped  for,  and  a  threatening  cough 
coming  on,  the  physician  recommended  to  him  a  voyage 
to  Alexandria  and  a  trial  of  the  air  of  Egypt.  Accord- 
ingly, the  two  brethren  embarked  together  on  the  9th 
of  January,  and  accomplished  the  voyage  in  five  days. 
The  weather  had  been  boisterous  and  uncomfortable. 
The  invalid  arrived  in  great  weakness,  and  two  men 
took  him  in  a  chair  to  his  lodgings.  He  himself  writes, 
five  days  after  his  arrival :  "  It  seems  that  this  shattered 
frame  will  not  long  endure  so  great  weakness.  With 
Brother  Fiyk  I  talk  freely  of  finishing  my  work  and  of 
meeting  my  final  Judge,  the  Lord  of  missions.  Heaven 
looks  desirable — to  obtain  the  perfect  image  of  God,  to 
know  more  of  the  existence  of  God  as  Father,  Son  and 
Holy  Ghost,  to  see  without  a  glass  the  exceeding  love 
displayed  on  the  cross,  to  observe  the  stations,  orders 
and  employments  of  angels,  to  know  how  saints  are  em- 
ployed in  relation  to  this  and  to  other  worlds,  to  see 
how  God  overrules  sin,  and  why  it  is  through  great 
tribulation  that  he  brings  his  children  to  glory, — in  a 
word,  to  see  God  in  all  his  attributes  and  his  angels  and 
saints  in  all  their  glory. ^' 

In  this  devout  frame  of  mind  he  continued  for  twenty 
days,  his  thoughts  soaring  upward,  his  prayers  ascending 
without  ceasing,  his  body  in  great  weakness,  a  tabernacle 
ready  to  be  dissolved  and  exchanged  for  the  house  not 
made  with  hands  eternal  in  the  heavens.  His  final  de- 
parture as  well  as  burial  took  place  February  10,  1822. 


CHAPTER  III. 

The  war  in  Smyrna — Reflections — Mr.  Fisk — Bible  labors  in  Egypt — 
Sails  for  Malta — Is  joined  by  Messrs.  King  and  Wolff — The  three 
visit  Egypt — Pass  the  desert — Reach  Gaza,  Jaffa  and  Jerusalem — 
The  morals  of  Jerusalem. 

MR.  FISK,  during  the  previous  year,  while  his 
fellow-laborer  was  at  work  among  the  pilgrims, 
found  himself  shut  up  to  the  city  and  suburbs  of  Smyrna. 
He  was  near  the  centre  of  a  bloody  civil  war.  '^  His 
ear  was  pained,  his  soul  was  sick,  with  every  day's 
report  of  wrong  and  outrage"  that  filled  that  hapless 
city.  To  the  Turk  all  Greeks  were  made  outlaws. 
They  were  hunted  like  wild  beasts.  They  were  shot 
at  for  sport  to  show  the  skill  of  the  marksmen.  Neigh- 
bor would  meet  neighbor  with  a  smile,  and  with  a  stab 
lay  him  dead  at  his  feet.  The  assassins  would  count  up 
their  victims  and  glory  in  their  numbers  as  the  American 
Indian  glories  in  the  number  of  his  scalps. 

When,  in  the  good  providence  of  God,  his  associate 
from  Jerusalem  was  restored  to  him,  their  hearts  melted 
together  in  new  affection,  and  each  found  the  other  as 
before,  fervent  in  spirit,  serving  the  Lord.  From  this 
time  it  is  obvious  to  remark  how  their  mutual  attach- 
ment increased.  They  were  both  made  keenly  sensible 
how  much  they  owed,  not  only  to  their  divine  Master, 
but  also  to  each  other,  for  spiritual  strength  and  comfort 
in  their  work.  The  invalid  in  his  weakness  leaned 
upon  his  brother,  and  was  happy  in  a  strange  land  to 

5  49 


60  BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

enjoy  the  help  and  sympathy  and  prayers  of  a  long- 
tried  friend.  The  other  was  happy  in  feeling  that 
whatever  he  did  for  this  his  languishing  fellow-servant 
he  did  for  his  Master  himself.  And  when  the  sad  hour 
of  separation  came,  it  is  evident  not  only  from  his  emo- 
tions at  the  time,  but  from  his  frequent  recurrence  to  the 
event  afterward,  how  heavy  a  blow  he  had  himself 
received. 

But  yet  he  in  no  wise  permits  his  calamity  to  hinder 
his  diligence  in  business  or  his  fervor  of  spirit  in  regard 
to  his  work.  His  room  is  open  to  all  callers,  and 
wherever  there  is  Roman,  Greek  or  Jew  he  seeks  to 
approach  him,  find  out  his  sentiments,  call  his  attention 
to  the  Scriptures,  and,  if  he  can  read,  beg  his  acceptance 
of  a  tract  or  purchase  of  a  book. 

Having  remained  in  Egypt  more  than  two  months, 
one  of  which  he  spent  in  a  visit  to  Cairo,  Mr.  Fisk  em- 
barked for  Malta,  a  friendly  captain  having  offered  him 
his  passage  free.  Here,  in  the  society  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Temple  from  America,  and  of  the  two  English  mis- 
sionaries, Messrs.  Jowett  and  Wilson,  he  found  that 
rest  and  solace  which  he  so  much  needed. 

In  this  fortified  island,  filled  with  one  hundred 
thousand  souls  ground  to  the  dust  by  Romish  ignorance 
and  superstition  and  guarded  by  English  cannon,  Mr. 
Fisk  continued  between  eight  and  nine  months,  preach- 
ing in  public  and  in  private,  studying  the  Arabic  and 
perfecting  himself  in  other  languages.  Meantime,  he 
was  joined  by  his  old  acquaintance,  the  Rev.  Jonas  King, 
from  Paris,  and  by  the  Rev.  Joseph  Wolff,  a  converted 
Jew  under  the  patronage  of  the  English.  These,  all 
having  the  same  destination,  sailed  together  for  Egypt 
and  Syria  at  the  beginning  of  January.     The  voyage 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  51 

was  one  of  seven  days.  They  occupied  themselves  in 
Egypt  for  three  months,  preaching  in  the  large  cities, 
visiting  villages  up  and  down  the  Nile,  and  disseminat- 
ing as  widely  as  possible  the  truth  of  God  as  contained 
in  religious  tracts  and  in  the  Holy  Scriptures.  After 
this,  in  company  with  a  caravan,  they  hastened  to  make 
the  journey  of  the  desert  toward  the  holy  land.  On  the 
eleventh  day  they  reached  Gaza  of  the  Philistines.  At 
this  point  their  caravan,  which  had  had  a  number  of 
accessions  on  the  way,  consisted  of  seventy -four  persons, 
forty-four  camels  and  fifty-nine  other  animals. 

In  two  days'  more  travel  they  came  to  Joppa,  having 
seen  on  the  way  neither  stream  of  water  nor  smiling 
village,  thrifty  field,  vineyard  nor  olive  grove. 

Moving  onward  from  Jaffa  toward  Jerusalem,  Mr. 
Fisk  writes :  "  In  about  two  hours  we  saw  a  Bedawin 
horseman  sitting  on  the  ground,  a  little  distance  before 
us,  with  his  horse  feeding  by  his  side.  As  we  advanced 
he  rose  and  boldly  put  himself  in  front  of  us  all.  The 
Christians  who  were  with  us,  and  who  rode  forward, 
stopped  and  turned  from  him  as  if  he  had  been  a  lion. 
As  soon  as  Mr.  Damiani,  son  of  the  consul,  told  him 
who  we  were,  he  let  us  pass  quietly,  but  tried  hard  to 
get  something  from  the  rest  of  the  company.  But  all 
he  got  was  a  trifle  from  the  mule-drivers  to  keep  him 
good-natured  for  the  future.  At  8  o'clock  we  crossed  a 
hill  and  then  entered  a  valley,  which  we  were  half  an 
hour  in  passing.  We  next  came  among  the  mountains. 
Here  we  saw  at  a  distance  a  camp  of  Bedawin.  As  soon 
as  they  saw  us  one  of  their  horsemen  rode  on  swiftly,  as 
if  to  intercept  our  path.  He  came  into  the  road  before 
us,  halted  and  looked  at  us  again,  and  then  rode  off 
Had  we  been  Rayahs  (/.  e.,  Christian  subjects  of  the  grand 


62  BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS. 

signor),  he  would  not  probably  have  left  us  without 
money.  For  some  time  our  road  lay  along  the  bed  of  a 
brook  in  a  deep  ravine,  with  mountains  of  rocks  rising 
up  like  pyramids  on  each  side  of  us.  By  degrees  the 
ascent  became  more  steep  till  we  reached  the  height  of 
these  rugged  mountains,  where  we  had  a  good  view  of 
the  plains  between  us  and  Jaffa.  It  was  often  with  dif- 
ficulty that  our  beasts  could  walk,  on  account  of  the 
roughness  of  the  road  and  steepness  of  the  ascent.  These 
mountains  are  covered  with  small  shrubs  suitable  for 
goats,  of  which  we  saw  several  large  flocks.  There  are 
no  forests,  but  in  the  valleys  and  on  the  sides  of  the 
hills  are  many  olive  and  fig  trees.  At  a  place  called 
Sareen  two  or  three  fierce-looking  armed  Bedawin  ap- 
peared and  began  to  demand  tribute.  We  rode  on  very 
carelessly,  bid  them  good-morning  and  inquired  after 
their  health.  They  began  to  talk  loudly  and  ordered 
us  to  stop,  but  we  rode  on,  and  they  did  not  attempt  to 
stop  us  by  force.  When  the  native  Christians  and  Jews 
pass  such  places,  they  have  no  way  to  get  on  but  to  sat- 
isfy the  rapacity  of  these  plunderers. 

"At  12  o'clock  we  reached  the  village  of  Ibrahim 
Abu  Goosh,  a  sheikh  who  has  under  his  command  great 
numbers  of  Bedawin,  and  who  generally  exacts  tribute 
from  those  who  pass  this  road,  but  for  some  reason  we 
were  permitted  to  pass  in  peace.  We  continued  our 
course  among  the  hills  over  a  road  impassable  for  camels 
and  very  difficult  for  mules  and  asses.  Afler  crossing 
a  high  mountain  we  passed  through  a  deep  valley  where 
is  a  small  village  called  Kaluna.  The  mountains  here 
are  of  a  peculiar  formation.  They  seem  almost  as  if 
built  by  the  hand  of  man,  and  rise  gradually,  step  by 
step,  like  pyramids.     Each  step,  however,  is  so  fastened 


BIBLE    WORK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS.  53 

into  the  '  everlasting  hills'  as  to  show  that  it  was  placed 
there  by  the  hand  of  Him  who  existed  'before  the  moun- 
tains were  brought  forth.'  On  these  steps,  which  are 
sometimes  tliree  or  four  rods  wide  and  sometimes  only  a 
few  feet,  you  see  soil  which  produces  shrubs,  and,  when 
cultivated,  vines,  figs  and  olives.  The  country  contin- 
ued the  same  till  we  were  within  half  an  hour  of  Jeru- 
salem, when  all  at  once  Mt.  Olivet  and  the  holy  city 
opened  to  our  view. 

"As  we  drew  near  the  city  we  remembered  how  our 
dear  brother  Parsons,  when  wars  and  rumors  of  wars 
obliged  him  to  leave  the  place,  turned  back  his  eyes  as 
he  ascended  the  hill  west  of  Jerusalem  and  wept  and 
said,  '  If  I  shall  find  favor  in  the  eyes  of  the  Lord,  he 
will  bring  me  again,  and  show  me  both  it  and  his  hab- 
itation.' Alas  for  us !  these  words  were  fulfilled  in  a 
much  higher  sense  than  he  then  anticipated.  Though 
he  was  not  permitted  to  return  to  the  earthly  Jerusalem, 
yet  his  divine  Saviour  has  given  him  an  infinitely  higher 
felicity,  even  that  of  entering  and  enjoying  that  upper 
Jerusalem  where  dwells  the  divine  glory. 

"  \yith  feelings  not  to  be  described,  about  4  o'clock 
we  entered  Jerusalem.  The  scenes  and  events  of  four 
thousand  years  seemed  to  rush  upon  our  minds — events 
in  which  heaven,  earth  and  hell  had  felt  the  deepest 
interest. 

"  Jerusalem  seems,  in  a  general  view,  to  be  situated 
on  the  side  of  a  mountain  descending  gently  toward  the 
east,  where  it  is  divided  from  Mt.  Olivet  by  the  brook 
or  valley  of  Kedron.  The  summit  of  the  mountain  on 
which  it  stands  is  considerably  higher  than  the  city,  so 
that  in  coming  from  Jaffa  you  arrive  near  the  place  be- 
fore you  discover  it. 

5* 


54 


BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS. 


"  On  taking  a  nearer  view  of  the  city,  you  perceive 
that  it  is  built  on  several  hills,  viz. :  Zion  on  the  south- 
western part,  Calvary  at  the  north-west,  Moriah  at 
the  south-east  and  Bezetha  at  the  north-east.  Accord- 
ing to  the  ancient  descriptions  of  Jerusalem,  it  included 
another  hill  called  Acra.  This  hill  it  is  not  now  easy 
to  distinguish ;  at  least,  we  see  nothing  now  which  cor- 
responds entirely  to  the  description  given  of  it  by  Jo- 


JERUSALEM    FROM    THE   EAST. 


sephus.  Before  Titus  besieged  Jerusalem  it  had  been 
captured  five  times,  and  was  once  demolished  by  the 
Babylonians.  Titus  spared  the  west  wall  and  three 
towers,  ^  but  for  all  the  rest  of  the  wall  it  was  so  thor- 
oughly laid  even  with  the  foundation  that  there  was 
left  nothing  to  make  those  that  come  thither  believe 
that  it  had  ever  been  inhabited.'  And  since  the  time 
of  Titus  the  city  has  been  often  plundered,  and  at  least 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS.  65 

partially  destroyed.  In  the  space  of  so  many  ages  it  is 
to  be  expected  that  some  valleys  should  be  filled  up  knd 
some  hills  leveled.  The  south  wall  passes  over  Zion 
near  its  summit,  so  that  a  great  part  of  the  hill  is  left 
without  the  city.  South  of  the  hill  is  the  deep  val- 
ley of  the  son  of  Hinnom.  The  same  valley,  turning 
north,  bounds  Zion  likewise  on  the  west.  The  valleys 
which  separate  it  in  the  city  from  Calvary  on  the  north 
and  Acra  on  the  north-east  are  not  deep.  The  valleys 
north  and  west  of  Moriah  at  present  are  not  at  all 
steep.  Calvary,  which  is  not  called  a  mountain  in  the 
Scriptures,  was  perhaps  only  a  small  elevation  on  a 
greater  hill  which  is  now  the  northern  part  of  the  city ; 
but  the  name  is  now  given  to  the  whole  hill.  Bezetha 
is  separated  from  Calvary  by  a  wide  valley,  and  east  of 
Calvary  is  also  the  dividing  valley  between  Moriah'  and 
Bezetha,  in  which  is  the  pool  of  Bethesda. 

"  \Ye  have  viewed  Jerusalem  from  diiferent  stations, 
have  walked  around  it  and  within  it,  and  have  stood  on 
the  Mount  of  Olives  with  Joseph us^  description  of  it  in 
our  hands,  trying  to  discover  the  hills  and  valleys  as  laid 
down  by  him  nearly  eighteen  hundred  years  ago,  and  after 
all  our  research  we  compare  Jerusalem  to  a  beautiful  per- 
son whom  we  have  not  seen  for  many  years,  and  who  has 
passed  through  a  great  variety  of  changes  and  misfor- 
tunes, which  have  caused  the  rose  on  her  cheeks  to  fade, 
her  flesh  to  consume  away  and  her  skin  to  become  dry 
and  withered  and  have  covered  her  face  with  the  wrinkles 
of  age,  but  who  still  retains  some  general  features  by 
which  we  recognize  her  as  the  person  who  used  to  be 
the  delight  of  the  circle  in  which  she  moved.  Such  is 
the  appearance  of  this  holy  city  which  was  once  ^  the 
perfection  of  beauty,  the  joy  of  the  whole  earth.' " 


56  BIBLE    WORK    IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

The  population  of  Jerusalem  is  differently  estimated, 
but  may  well  enough  be  considered  as  equally  divided 
between  Jews,  Mohammedans  and  Christians,  reckoning 
five  thousand  to  each.  In  general  they  are  poor,  igno- 
rant, bigoted  and  deceitful. 

The  Muslims  are  distinguished  for  their  pride  and 
cruelty.  They  are  of  the  ruling  class,  and  consequently 
expect  deferential  treatment  from  other  sects  and  partial 
favor  from  the  government.  If  the  foreigners  walked 
into  the  Mohammedan  streets,  the  boys  pelted  them 
with  stones ;  if  they  walked  outside  the  walls,  they  met 
armed  men  looking  sternly  at  them  as  if  marking  them 
for  plunder.  Very  little  good  was  expected  from  re- 
ligious discussion  directly  with  Muslims.  Few  of  them 
had  knowledge  enough,  and  fewer  had  the  desire,  to 
attempt  a  defence  of  their  religion. 

The  Jews  were  somewhat  better  instructed  and  more 
accessible,  but  not  less  hardened  against  the  truth  than 
the  Muslims.  The  latter  believed  in  the  divine  mission 
of  Christ  as  a  prophet  of  the  highest  eminence  next  to 
Mohammed,  but  the  Jews  rejected  him  altogether.  A 
Mohammedan  effendi,  a  teacher  of  Mr.  Fisk  at  Jeru- 
salem, had  a  great  aversion  to  the  Jews.  "  Once,"  he 
said,  "a  Jew  called  on  me  at  my  house,  and  in  con- 
versation I  asked  him  what  he  thought  of  Said-na  Esa 
(our  Ijord  Jesus).  He  said,  *  He  was  a  vile  impostor.' 
I  was  so  enraged  at  him  that  I  was  ready  to  stab  him 
with  my  hanjar  on  the  spot.  As  he  was  my  guest^  how- 
ever, I  could  not  do  that,  but  I  railed  on  him  most 
angrily,  called  him  an  unclean  beast  and  other  foul 
names,  and  sent  him  away." 

The  Jews  at  Jerusalem  are  never  offended  at  being 
addressed  on  tlie  subject  of  their   faith.      Tliey  often 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  57 

affect  great  wisdom  about  it,  such  as  they — that  is,  the 
learned  among  them — have  got  from  the  commentaries 
of  their  rabbies.  Here  is  a  specimen  by  Mr.  Fisk : 
^'The  young  Rabbi  Isaac  ben  Schloma  and  Rabbi 
Yoosef  Marcovitz,  an  old  man  of  eighty,  called  at  my 
room.  Mr.  Wolff  was  present,  and  acted  as  interpreter. 
I  asked  the  Rabbi  Marcovitz  when  he  thought  the 
Messiah  would  come.  He  looked  very  wise  a  little 
while,  and  then,  changing  his  position,  began  to  move 
his  body  backward  and  forward,  as  is  customary  with 
Jews  in  their  synagogues  and  boys  in  their  schools  when 
they  read.  He  then  said  there  were  two  things  about 
which  it  was  not  permitted  to  inquire:  one  was  what 
took  place  before  the  foundation  of  the  world  ;  the  other 
was  when  the  Messiah  will  come.  Daniel  said,  '  The 
time  is  sealed,'  and  what  fool  would  presume  to  be 
wiser  than  Daniel  ? 

''  ^But  are  there  not  Jews  who  do  endeavor  to  ascer- 
tain the  time  when  the  Messiah  will  come  ?' 

"'Yes;  there  are  some  such.  But  they  are  not  up- 
right.    They  are  wicked  Jews.'' 

"  '  What  is  your  opinion  of  the  words  of  Israel  in  Gen. 
xlix.  10,  the  sceptre  shall  not  depart  from  Judah  till 
Shiloh  come?' 

" '  Shiloh  is  the  name  of  a  place,'  Rabbi  Isaac  said. 
*  The  word  in  Genesis  means  the  Messiah.  When  the 
word  means  a  place,  it  is  differently  spelled.' 

"  The  old  man  replied  angrily,  *  I  have  more  under- 
standing than  you.' 

"  The  Hebrew  Bible  was  then  brought  and  examined, 
and  from  more  than  twenty  places  the  old  man  was 
proved  to  have  less  understanding  than  the  younger." 

A  Caraite  Jew  of  Jerusalem,  one  of  the  sect  who  fol- 


68  BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS. 

low  the  Scriptures  alone,  rejecting  tradition,  to  whom 
Mr.  Wolif  had  presented  a  Hebrew  New  Testament, 
afterwards  came  and  expressed  his  gratitude,  declaring 
that  he  really  loved  Jesus  Christ.  The  Kabbies  received 
the  visits  of  the  brethren  kindly,  but  without  any  ap- 
parent desire  either  to  convert  or  to  be  converted.  They, 
as  well  as  a  large  portion  of  their  people,  seemed  to  wish 
to  die  at  the  holy  city,  expecting  some  great  spiritual 
advantage  from  having  their  dust  mingled  with  that  of 
David  and  Solomon  and  the  holy  prophets. 

STATE   OF   MORALS   IN   JERUSALEM. 

It  would  seem  as  if.  men  endued  with  reason  and  re- 
flection, dwelling  in  a  place  whose  very  name  is  holy, 
and  where  so  many  circumstances  are  fitted  to  keep  alive 
a  sense  of  the  divine  presence,  would  be  remarkable  for 
holy  and  devout  living.  But  it  is  disappointing  and 
distressing  to  every  feeling  heart  to  know  that  the  very 
opposite  is  the  case.  Our  friends  had  not  sufficient  time 
and  experience  at  this  their  first  visit  to  the  city  to  be- 
come qualified  to  speak  with  full  authority  of  the  state 
of  morals  in  the  place.  But  beside  what  they  had  been 
told  by  others,  a  few  specimens  fell  under  their  own  ob- 
servation. A  Mohammedan,  belonging,  as  many  think, 
to  the  most  honest  class  of  the  natives  in  Turkey,  had 
sold  them  a  certain  manuscript  for  a  few  dollars  and  was 
paid  on  the  spot.  But  thinking  he  might  manage  to 
obtain  something  more  from  the  strangers,  he  went  be- 
fore the  authorities  of  the  city  and  accused  them  of  keep- 
ing by  force  a  book  which  he  had  only  lent  them  to  look 
at.  The  defendants  were  able  to  produce  very  credible 
witnesses  that  the  bargain  was  fairly  made  and  the  arti- 
cle honorably  paid  for,  so  that  the  judge  was  ashamed 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  59 

to  entertain  the  complaint,  and  would  have  subjected  the 
man  to  the  bastinado  had  not  the  strangers  plead  him  off. 

At  another  time,  a  man  who  was  a  Romanist  was 
hired  by  them  for  a  single  week,  and  at  the  end  of  tlie 
time  was  paid  his  wages.  In  a  day  or  two  he  re-ap- 
peared and  told  sorrowfully  how  he  had  found  a  hole  in 
his  pocket  and  his  money  was  all  lost.  They  pitied  the 
man,  and  in  whole  or  in  part  made  up  to  him  his  mis- 
fortune. Soon  after  this  an  article  of  furniture  was 
missing  from  one  of  the  rooms  and  was  found  in  this 
same  man's  possession.  He  steadfastly  denied  the  theft 
and  used  many  devices  to  clear  himself,  but  at  last  made 
a  full  confession,  laying  all  the  blame  upon  the  devil 
who  had  made  him  do  it.  Papas  Esa,  the  tract  and 
book  translator,  was  applied  to  for  a  good  trusty  boy 
whom  he  could  recommend  to  be  employed  for  work 
about  the  house.  He  answered,  "  You  can't  find  such  a 
boy  in  all  Jerusalem.  They  are  all  devils."  A  com- 
pany excursion  was  arranged  for  visiting  the  Dead  Sea 
and  the  Jordan.  Men  of  Jerusalem  were  engaged  at  a 
rate  of  expense  well  understood  by  both  parties.  But 
these  hired  men  contrived  so  to  annoy  the  party  who 
engaged  them  that  by  intimidation  or  otherwise  they 
forced  from  the  company  a  considerable  sum  above  what 
was  bargained  for. 

But  what  our  travelers  failed  to  discover  in  this  pres- 
ent short  stay  in  the  city  appeared  from  subsequent  ex- 
perience. The  next  year's  visit  of  Mr.  Fisk  to  Jeru- 
salem was  made  in  company  with  the  E,ev.  AYilliam 
Jowett,  of  Malta.  When  that  gentleman  had  finished 
his  short  visit  in  the  city,  he  agreed  with  a  respectable 
Muslim  muleteer  to  take  him  and  his  baggage  to  Beirut, 
specifying  how  many  and  just  what  kind  of  animals  he 


60  BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS. 

must  have.  The  man  understood  it,  and  swore  by  his 
head  it  should  be  done  as  he  wished.  At  the  appointed 
hour  Mohammed  was  at  the  door  with  his  animals  below 
waiting  for  the  baggage.  This  was  duly  laid  outside  the 
door  for  him  to  take  down  to  the  yard  and  lash  upon  his 
animals.  This  done,  he  sent  them  forward  with  an  at- 
tendant, while  he  himself  would  wait  and  follow  on  with 
the  traveler.  When  Mr.  Jowett  overtook  the  animals  and 
saw  what  sorry  things  they  were,  half  angry  at  the  cheat, 
he  wheeled  about  and  rode  straight  into  the  city  without 
saying  a  word.  Mohammed  soon  arrived  at  the  door 
and  found  him  resting  at  his  ease  on  the  sofa.  One 
word  was  all  he  needed  to  explain  the  difficulty,  and  he 
disappeared.  In  about  half  an  hour  the  Howadji  was 
again  called  down,  and  finding  all  things  set  right,  re- 
sumed his  journey.  In  about  twenty  days  Mohammed 
was  again  in  Jerusalem.  He  brought  to  Mr.  Fisk  two 
papers,  one  of  which  was  a  recommendation  for  the 
bearer  to  future  travelers,  and  the  other  a  line  to  Mr. 
risk,  in  which  Mr.  Jowett,  among  other  things,  remarks  : 
"  I  find  Mohammed  to  be  a  very  kind  and  serviceable 
ass  when  once  you  get  the  bits  fairly  in  his  mouth." 

At  a  still  later  date,  when  Mr.  Thomson,  our  mission- 
ary, commenced  the  building  of  a  wall  to  enclose  the 
American  cemetery  on  Mt.  Zion,  he  found  the  utmost 
difficulty  in  getting  men  to  commence  the  work.  He 
wrote  that  it  was  only  after  a  desperate  effort  on  their 
part  to  carry  their  point,  and  after  being  convinced  to 
their  full  satisfaction  that  neither  by  flattery  nor  by 
threats  nor  by  any  deception  they  could  cheat  him  out  of 
his  money,  that  they  w^ould  go  seriously  to  their  busi- 
ness. "  They  showed  a  depth  of  depravity  to  which  he 
never  before  supposed  human  nature  could  sink.''     He 


BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  61 

had  with  him  a  pious  native  assistant  to  oversee  the 
work,  who  more  than  once  came  in  expressing  his  utter 
astonishment  that  any  such  men  could  be  found  on  the 
face  of  the  earth. 

But  all  this  will  seem  a  matter  of  less  surprise  when 
we  consider  the  lack  of  preachers  in  Jerusalem  and  the 
example  of  the  ecclesiastics.  One  of  the  Greek  priests 
made  the  astonishing  confession  to  Mr.  Fisk  that  they 
had  in  Jerusalem  a  hundred  Greek  priests  and  monks, 
but  among  them  all  not  a  single  preacher. 

But  this  lack  of  preachers  would  not  be  so  disastrous 
were  it  not  for  the  demoralizing  influence  of  the  priestly 
example.  Such  were  the  abominations  existing  in  the 
large  Armenian  convent  in  Jerusalem,  that  two  of  its 
chief  bishops  were  constrained  to  leave  it  and  repudiate 
their  own  vows  of  celibacy  by  marrying  wives.  The 
convent  owed  them  for  services  debts  of  thousands  of 
dollars,  debts  which  the  convent  people  repeatedly  ac- 
knowledged before  the  government  to  be  honestly  due 
them,  but  payment  was  refused  under  the  false  plea  of 
poverty. 

The  celebrated  Greek  fire,  sent  forth  every  year  by  the 
chief  Greek  bishop  in  Jerusalem,  is  manifestly  an 
impious  cheat  on  a  large  scale.  It  is  a  foul  blot  on  tlie 
fair  name  of  Christianity,  and  is  enough  to  destroy  all 
reverence  for  truth  and  honesty  in  the  whole  city. 
What  marks  this  disgraceful  exhibition  as  a  dishonest 
farce  is  the  fact  that  even  the  Greeks  themselves,  in  Jeru- 
salem, never  put  forth  this  pretended  miracle  as  a  proof 
of  the  divine  character  of  the  Christian  religion,  nor 
even  as  a  proof  of  the  orthodoxy  of  the  Greek  Church. 
It  is  only  for  the  rabble.  The  thinking  part  of  the 
people  among  them  are  ashamed  of  it.    The  character  of 

6 


62  BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

the  Latin  convent  has  long  been  tliat  of  dark  and 
bloody  treachery.  The  leading  men  there  have  been 
Spaniards,  and  have  a  most  unenviable  reputation 
among  the  French  and  Italian  members  of  their  own 
fraternity.  French  and  English  travelers,  however, 
make  this  convent  their  most  common  resort.  Mr. 
risk  was  informed  of  a  case  in  which  an  American 
traveler,  coming  from  Marseilles  in  feeble  health,  took 
lodgings  at  that  establishment,  and  was  visited  by  a 
French  physician  either  professionally  or  as  a  friend. 
One  day  this  friend  called  and  found  the  sick  man  had 
just  received  a  letter  from  abroad  which  he  was  about 
to  open  and  read  after  taking  a  little  rest.  He  con- 
versed as  usual.  Two  hours  after  this  the  physician 
called  again,  and  behold  the  man  was  dead  and  buried. 
The  monks  pretended  that  the  man  had  renounced 
Protestantism  and  become  a  good  Catholic,  not  the 
least  intimation  of  which  had  he  given  to  his  French 
friend.  The  latter  disbelieved  the  whole  story,  and  said 
if  the  man  had  really  become  a  Catholic  the  mere 
funeral  services  could  not  have  been  performed  in  the 
short  time  that  elapsed  between  his  last  two  visits. 
But  the  monks  prepared  a  tombstone  with  an  epitaph, 
which  is  still  read  over  the  man's  grave,  informing  all 
readers  that  this  man,  "repudiating  all  the  errors  of 
Luther  and  Calvin,  died  in  the  bosom  of  the  Holy 
Koman  Catholic  Church."  It  had  been  noticed  as  re- 
markable, and  not  without  unfavorable  suspicions,  that 
the  reverendissimos  and  superintendents  of  the  Propa- 
ganda convents  had  died  one  after  another  in  very 
ra})id  succession.  Plain  hints  of  foul  usage  were  fre- 
quently expressed  by  monks  of  other  nationalities  and 
Pomish  deputies  themselves.     A  superior  of  the  convent 


BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  63 

of  Harissa,  in  the  vicinity  of  Beirut,  speaking  one  day 
of  those  Jerusalem  friars,  said  as  he  put  his  hands  upon 
his  gaunt  sides,  "  I  should  be  loth  to  trust  my  poor 
body  in  their  hands."  Yet  it  so  happened  that  that 
same  body  was,  shortly  after,  summoned  to  Jerusalem, 
passed  through  the  hands  he  had  so  much  dreaded,  and 
in  not  far  from  a  twelvemonth  he  was  safely  lodged  in 
his  grave. 

"  What  shall  we  do  with  these  Spanish  monks  ?"  said 
Monsignor  Gandolfi.  "  If  we  write  to  the  Propaganda 
we  get  no  answer  to  our  applications.  If  we  write  to 
the  pope  neither  will  he  vouchsafe  any  reply ;  and  we 
cannot  complain  to  the  king  of  the  French — he  has  be- 
come a  monk  himself." 

Poor  Gandolfi !  After  serving  as  the  pope's  legate  forty 
years  in  Syria,  and  becoming  thoroughly  disgusted  with 
the  people,  he  was  on  the  point  of  embarking  for  Italy. 
His  movements  as  well  as  his  sentiments  werje,  no  doubt, 
w^ell  known  at  Jerusalem.  He  would  have  been  a  fear- 
ful witness  of  the  things  he  had  seen  and  known  in  the 
Terra  Sancta  had  he  once  reached  Rome ;  but  just  in 
the  nick  of  time,  as  he  was  about  setting  his  foot  upon 
his  waiting  vessel  at  Beirut,  he  was  seized  by  some 
malady  that  suddenly  terminated  his  life.  An  Italian 
priest  said  to  Mr.  Fisk  that  before  he  came  into  the 
holy  land  he  had  heard  much  of  the  Spanish  friars  as 
being  most  holy  men  without  fault  or  blemish.  But 
on  coming  among  them  he  had  found  them  the  greatest 
rascals  (bisbirri)  on  the  face  of  the  earth.  They  were  a 
hypocritical  and  accursed  "  nazione,'^ 


CHAPTER    IV. 

Journey  to  Beirut — Messrs.  Way  and  Lewis  at  Sidon — Lady  Hester 
Stanhope — Beirut — Eraeer  Beshecr  Antoora — Convents  of  Leb- 
anon— Baalbec— Patriarch  Jarwi — Residence  of  Mr.  King  at  Deir 
el  Kommer — Arrival  of  Messrs.  Goodell  and  Bird. 

DURING  their  visit  of  two  months  at  Jerusalem 
the  missionaries  had  distributed,  chiefly  among  the 
pilgrims,  by  sale  and  otherwise,  a  hundred  New  Testa- 
ments and  five  thousand  or  more  religious  tracts. 

The  two  Americans,  leaving  behind  them  their  zealous 
brother  AVolff,  who  thought  he  had  not  yet  said  all  his 
last  words  to  the  Jews,  commenced  a  land  journey  to 
Beirut  by  way  of  Jaffa  and  Sidon.  On  coming  in  sight 
of  the  latter  place  they  spied  an  English  ship  of  con- 
siderable size  anchored  off  the  town,  which  proved  most 
unexpectedly  to  be  a  missionary  ship  commanded  by  a 
pious  ex-admiral  of  the  British  navy,  chartered  and  em- 
ployed expressly  to  bring  to  these  shores  two  English 
missionaries.  They  had  come  under  the  auspices  of  the 
London  Jews'  Society.  One  of  them  was  the  Rev. 
Lewis  Way,  a  gentleman  of  wealth  and  engaged  with 
much  enthusiasm  in  the  Jewish  cause.  He  had  left 
Sidon  by  land,  and  was  occupying  himself  in  fitting  up 
an  establishment  for  himself  and  his  fellow-laborers  in 
the  vicinity  of  Beirut.  His  associate,  however,  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Lewis,  was  still  at  Sidon,  and  with  him  they  spent 
a  very  agreeable  Sabbath.  The  Rev.  Jonas  King,  after- 
ward eminent  for  his  laborsi  at  Athens,  on  his  way  from 

64 


BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  65 

Paris  to  join  Mr.  Fisk  at  Malta,  had  passed  through 
Marseilles,  where  he  had  been  furnished  by  the  British 
consul  of  that  place  with  a  letter  of  introduction  to  Lady 
Hester  Stanhope,  who  was  known  to  enjoy  a  queenly 
reputation  in  Syria,  and  being  a  niece  of  the  younger 
^yilliam  Pitt,  was  believed  to  partake  of  his  partiality 
for  Americans.  Her  residence  being  near  to  Sidon,  Mr. 
King  now  sent  a  messenger  to  her  ladyship,  bearing  Con- 
sul TurnbuU's  letter.  When  the  Sabbath  was  past  she 
sent  her  dragoman,  Luigi  Marone,  to  escort  him  to  her 
dwelling.  "She  gave  him  a  very  favorable  reception. 
They  had  a  long  conversation  about  America,  about 
Syria,  the  Bible  Society  and  religion,"  and  finally  she 
furnished  him  with  letters  of  introduction  to  some  of 
her  native  friends. 

Whether  this  kind  treatment  of  Mr.  King  was  owing 
to  his  nationality,  or  to  his  natural  suavity  of  manner, 
or  to  the  sincere  respect  he  manifested  toward  the  grand- 
daughter of  the  Earl  of  Chatham,  certain  it  is  that  the 
interview  was  of  a  kind  that  could  not  have  been  cal- 
culated upon.  Neither  the  Stanhopes  nor  the  Pitts, 
with  all  their  fame  for  statesmanship,  seem  to  have 
been  very  friendly  to  religion,  and  as  for  Lady  Hester 
herself,  her  prejudices  were  very  strong  against  it.  The 
author  of  the  book  Eothen^  whose  mother  Lady  Hester 
remembered  as  "a  sweet,  lovely  girP'  of  her  acquaint- 
ance in  England,  and  who,  on  his  mother's  account, 
was  indulged  with  repeated  familiar  chats  with  her 
ladyship  at  her  establishment,  represents  her  as  religious 
in  no  sense  but  what  consisted  with  an  overruling  belief 
in  magic,  sorcery  and  astrology.  Her  antipathy  to  the 
Bible  was  such  that  she  refused  a  call  from  Mr.  Ben- 
jamin Barker  simply  because  he  was  in  the  employ  of 

6* 


6Q  BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

the  Bible  Society,  while  he  was  of  a  family  for  all  of 
whose  members  she  professed  the  highest  respect.  Her 
treatment  of  Mr.  Wolff  was  an  outrage.  This  zealous 
convert  from  Judaism,  after  finishing  his  message  to  the 
Jews  at  Jerusalem,  followed  his  two  American  brethren 
to -the  parts  about  Lebanon.  At  Sidon  he  sent  a  note  to 
]\Iiss  Williams,  Lady  Stanhope's  maid  of  honor,  to  say 
to  lier  that  the  letters  she  had  entrusted  to  his  care, 
■when  here  before,  he  had  safely  delivered  into  the  hands 
of  her  friends  in  INIalta,  and  that  those  friends  were  in 
good  health.  Without  thanking  him  for  his  politeness. 
Miss  Williams  replied  that  she  had  her  positive  orders 
not  to  hav^e  any  communication  with  him,  and  that  her 
ladyship  was  thinking  of  issuing  a  circular  to  all  her 
friends  in  the  land  respecting  these  "  wandering  gentle- 
men," to  say  that  her  ladyship  disowned  them  all. 

But,  not  fully  satisfied  with  the  reply  prepared  by 
Miss  Williams,  her  ladyship  accompanied  it  with  a  note 
of  her  own,  more  ada2:>ted,  in  her  view,  to  the  aggrava- 
tions of  the  case.  It  was  couched  in  the  following 
terms : 

"I  am  astonished  that  an  apostate  should  dare  to 
thrust  himself  into  observation  in  my  family.  Had 
you,  whose  real  name  I  know  not,  been  a  learned  Jew, 
never  could  you  have  abandoned  a  religion  rich  in 
itself,  yet  defective,  to  embrace  a  shadow  of  one.  Light 
travels  faster  than  sound ;  therefore  the  Supreme  Being 
could  never  have  allowed  his  creatures  to  remain  in 
utter  darkness  for  nearly  two  thousand  years,  until  paid 
speculating  w^anderers  might  think  it  proper  to  lift  their 
venal  voice  to  enlighten  them. 

"Hester  Lucy  Stanhope/' 


BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS.  67 

To  this  note  Mr.  AVolfF  mildly  replied : 

"I  have  just  received  a  letter  which  bears  your  lady- 
sliip's  signature,  but  I  find  it  difficult  to  believe  it  gen- 
uine. As  any  communication  with  your  ladyship's  family 
j)roceeded  from  kindly  feelings  toward  the  friends  of 
Miss  Williams,  I  am  at  a  loss  to  understand  the  mean- 
ing of  your  ladyship  in  saying  that  I  wished  to  thrust 
myself  into  observation,  as  your  ladyship's  name  was 
not  even  alluded  to  in  my  letter.  With  respect  to  my 
religious  views  and  pursuits,  1  feel  perfectly  at  rest,  and 
they  must  be  quite  immaterial  to  your  ladyship.  My 
religious  principles,  however,  would  never  permit  me  to 
insult  persons  whom  I  never  saw,  and  they  enable  me 
to  assure  your  ladyship  that  I  always  wish  your  lady- 
ship happiness,  and  I  have  the  honor  to  be,''  etc. 

This  letter  was  despatched  by  a  Turkish  messenger, 
unsealed.  The  Turk  was  beaten  by  her  ladyship's 
order  and  the  letter  returned.* 

Passing  on  to  the  important  commercial  city  of 
Beirut,  the  two  missionaries  were  accommodated  with 
rooms  in  the  convent  of  the  Capuchins.f  They  had 
scarcely  become  rested,  however,  in  their  comfortable 

*  Lady  H.  was  not,  as  some  have  supposed,  a  daughter,  but  only  a 
distant  relative,  of  the  celebrated  Philip  Dormer  Stanhope,  commonly 
known  as  Lord  Chesterfield.  The  first  Earl  of  Chesterfield  was  Philip 
Stanhope,  two  of  whose  sons  were  named,  severally,  Henry  and  Alex- 
ander. Charles  Stanhope,  the  father  of  Lady  H.,  was  a  grandson  of 
Henry,  and  Philip  D.  a  grandson  of  Alexander.  Charles  Stanhope 
is  described  as  "a  very  eccentric  man,  a  great  mechanical  genius  and  a 
republican."  Some  of  Lady  H.'s  peculiarities  seem  to  have  come  to 
her  by  inheritance. 

■  f  The  Capuchins  compose  a  Pomish  religious  order,  wearing  out- 
wardly a  long  coarse  garment  girt  round  with  a  rope,  and  having  a 
peculiar  caput  or  hood  which  gives  the  order  its  name.  Their  con- 
vents in  Syria  are  very  few. 


68  BIBLE    WORK    IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

quarters  before  there  arrived  from  the  same  direction 
the  reverendissimo,  or  padre  superior  of  all  the  convents 
belonging  to  the  congregation  of  the  Terra  Santa;  it 
was  therefore,  of  course,  required  that  they  should  give 
this  man  place.  They  had  known  this  Roman  dignitary 
at  Jerusalem,  and  now  they  took  occasion  to  renew  their 
acquaintance  and  to  hold  converse  with  him  on  religious 
themes. 

The  brethren  having  made  the  acquaintance  of  the 
Greek  bishop  at  Beirut,  and  of  the  English  and  other 
consuls,  prepared  themselves  to  visit  his  excellency  the 
Emeer  Besheer,  the  governor  in  chief  of  the  mountains 
of  Lebanon.  They  had  already  seen  the  prince  in 
Egypt.  At  that  interview  he  had  condescended  to 
invite  them  to  visit  him  when  they  should  arrive  in 
Syria.  And  now,  as  they  were  expecting  to  spend 
some  months  in  Syria  among  his  people,  it  seemed 
every  way  expedient  to  comply  with  his  invitation. 

The  prince  had  some  special  reasons  for  showing 
favor  to  Englishmen  (and  such  our  two  travelers  were 
recognized  to  be  by  the  authorities),  for  he  had  once 
been  rescued  by  an  English  admiral*  from  danger,  and 
perhaps  from  death,  when  he  had  fallen  under  the  dis- 
pleasure of  that  barbarian  Jezzar  Pasha.  He  received 
their  call  in  a  friendly  manner,  though  thronged  with 
callers  on  business,  and  gave  them  passports  for  travel- 
ing or  residing  in  any  part  of  the  mountains  under  his 
jurisdiction. 

The  Emeer  Besheer  was  no  common  man.  When  a 
young  man,  Jezzar  Pasha,  having  heard  of  him,  invited 
him  to  Acca,  and  was  charmed  with  his  manners,  ap- 
pearance and  address,  "  for,"  says  his  biographer,  "  he 
*  Sir  Sidney  Smith  in  1799. 


EMEER    BESHEER. 


BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS.  71 

was  the  most  noble  and  majestic-looking  prince  of  his 
day/'  His  first  step  toward  power  displayed  an 
ominous  vigor.  He  gave  battle  to  his  uncle  at  Deir 
el  Kommer,  and  drove  him  from  his  seat  of  power 
quite  out  of  the  mountain,  taking  that  seat  himself  in 
undisturbed  possession. 

"  So  complete  was  the  mastery  he  obtained  over  the 
turbulent  feudatories  of  Lebanon,  and  so  strict  the 
etiquette  he  exacted,  that  all  the  emeers  and  sheikhs, 
both  Druze  and  Christian,  who  came  to  pay  him  their 
respects,  stood  with  folded  arms  before  him  until  he 
invited  them  to  be  seated,  and  until  the  invitation  was 
repeated  a  second  or  third  time.  The  eifect  produced 
by  his  personal  appearance  was  of  itself  sufficient  to  re- 
duce the  most  rebellious  spirit  to  abject  submission.  On 
entering  his  divan  you  would  see  a  venerable-looking 
man  sitting  on  his  heels,  leaning  against  a  cushion,  with 
thick,  shaggy  brows  overhanging  eyes  replete  with  fire 
and  vivacity,  and  a  broad,  massive  beard  reaching  down 
to  his  waist.  The  tone  of  his  voice  was  deep,  hollow 
and  sonorous,  and  few  if  any  of  the  great  men  of  the 
mountain  could  stand  before  him  without  trembling.'^ 

Messrs.  King  and  Fisk  were  next  found  in  company 
with  the  Kev.  Mr.  Way,  at  the  village  of  Antoora  near 
Beirut.  Mr.  Way,  having  come  to  the  belief  that  the 
Jews  were  on  the  eve  of  a  return  to  their  native  or 
fatherland,  had  made  the  voyage  hither  with  the  hope 
of  being  able,  in  some  capacity,  to  facilitate  this  desimble 
object. 

His  attention  had  been  directed  to  an  old  building  at 
Antoora,  once  occupied  as  a  Jesuit  college,  but  now  quite 
forsaken  and  dilapidated.  He  was  fitting  it  up,  at  con- 
siderable expense,  to  be  a  centre  of  operations  for  all 


72  BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

Protestant  religious  societies.  It  is  very  questionable 
whether  any  important  benefit  would  have  resulted  from 
the  plan  of  Mr.  Way  had  he  been  able  to  remain  and 
superintend  its  execution,  but  his  expectations  were  sud- 
denly cut  off  by  his  rapidly-declining  health.  After  a 
six  weeks'  visit  to  the  land  of  which  he  had  thought 
and  spoken  so  much,  and  where  he  had  hoped  to  view 
with  his  own  eyes  some  magnificent  displays  of  the  divine 
glory,  he  found  himself  obliged  to  leave  it  in  the  same 
vessel  which  had  brought  him. 

Mr.  King  now  took  a  station  for  study  at  Deir  el 
Kommer,*  while  Messrs.  Fisk  and  Wolif— the  latter 
having  arrived  from  Jerusalem — remained  a  while  at 
Antoora. 

This  small  village  belongs  to  the  district  of  Lebanon 
called  Kesru-dn,  where,  as  well  as  in  the  mountainous 
region  farther  north,  there  is  a  multiplicity  of  papal  con- 
vents. The  brethren  were  disposed  to  ascertain  by  ex- 
periment in  what  estimation  the  Scriptures  were  held 
in  these  religious  establishments  and  to  learn  whatever 
else  might  be  known  respecting  them.  They  therefore 
made  visits  to  several  of  those  in  the  neighborhood,  to 
Mar  Hanna  esh  Shu-6ir,  Harissa,  Bkoorki,  Sliarfi, 
Bzum-mar,  Bshara  and  Mar  Elee-as.  At  some  of  these 
places  they  disposed  of  some  copies  of  the  Scriptures 
and  enjoyed  profitable  opportunities  for  religious  dis- 
cussion. 

Mar  Hanna  belonged  to  the  papal  Greeks,  and  was 
occupied  by  thirty  or  forty  monks.  About  the  year 
1750  this  convent  became  possessed  of  a  printing  estab- 
lishment, introduced  by  Abdallah  Zaw-khir,  and  by  this 

*  An  engraving  of  this  interesting  spot  will  be  found  in  the  latter 
part  of  this  volume.     See  '*  List  of  Illustrations." 


BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  73 

press  have  been  printed  nearly  all  the  Arabic  books  now 
used  in  their  churches.  Mr.  Fisk  tried  to  have  a  few 
unobjectionable  tracts  printed  there,  but  was  unsuccess- 
ful. Bkoorki  was  but  a  short  walk  from  Antoora.  It 
was  a  somewhat  spacious  building,  but  chiefly  in  ruins, 
and  only  remarkable  for  what  it  had  been.  It  was 
erected  for  a  nunnery  by  a  fanatical  woman  called  Hen- 
deeye,  who  finally  lost  entirely  the  confidence  of  the 
public,  and  was  obliged  to  flee  the  neighborhood  to  escape 
the  indignation  of  her  own  sect.  Harissa  belonged  to  tlic 
Terra  Santa  congregation  of  Rome,  and  was  built  with 
massive  stone  walls  of  a  sufficient  thickness  to  stand  the 
siege  of  a  castle,  having  twenty  or  thirty  rooms,  but  in- 
habited by  a  single  solitary  Franciscan  monk.  During 
a  late  disturbed  state  of  the  country  the  British  consul, 
John  Barker,  Esq.,  resorted  to  it  as  the  safest  asylum  he 
could  find  from  surrounding  dangers.  Sharfi  was  one  of 
the  only  two  convents  on  Lebanon  belonging  to  the  papal 
Syrians  under  the  notorious  new  patriarch  Jarwi,  who 
himself  was  at  that  time  residing  at  his  other  establish- 
ment, a  day's  journey  distant.  Here  at  Sharfi  was  the  aged 
metropolitan  Simon,  late  patriarch  of  the  sect,  and  now 
seventy-five  years  of  age,  together  with  -another  bishop 
and  a  priest.  They  said  that  the  press,  types  and  paper 
procured  by  Bishop  Jarwi  in  England  were  now  in 
this  convent,  but  the  patriarch  had  at  Mar  Ephram  the 
key  of  the  room  which  contained  them.  It  was  the  out- 
door report  that  the  present  patriarch  had  supplanted 
Simon,  the  late  patriarch,  by  means  of  the  money  he 
obtained  in  England.  The  brethren  here  gave  away 
four  copies  of  the  Scriptures  and  had  a  long  discussion 
on  religious  topics.  A  sheikh  of  the  neighborhood,  who 
was  present  listening,  sided  with  the  missionaries,  saying 
7 


74  BIBLE   WORK    IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

a  number  of  times,  "  tliat's  so."  The  bishop  afterwards 
wrote  to  his  visitors  for  more  Scriptures. 

At  Bzum-mar  the  missionaries  found  the  papal  Ar- 
menian patriarch  Gregory,  two  bishops  and  two  priests, 
with  twenty  young  men,  studying  for  the  ministry.  Two 
or  three  of  the  ecclesiastics  spoke  Italian.  The  branches 
studied  in  this  theological  school  were  said  to  be  gram- 
mar, rhetoric,  logic,  metaphysics  and  theology,  but 
chiefly  in  books  translated  from  Latin  or  Italian.  Some 
pupils  studied  Arabic  and  Turkish.  A  long  discussion 
was  had  with  the  bishops  about  popery,  in  which  the 
patriarch  took  little  or  no  part.  He  seemed  a  jolly  sort 
of  man,  preferring  to  shift  off  the  discussion  of  religious 
subjects  upon  his  bishops  and  priests,  as  if  he  had  done 
with  all  such  matters,  having  taken  a  degree  beyond 
them.*  Fifteen  books  were  sold  at  this  convent,  but  in 
a  private  way,  lest,  as  the  purchasers  said,  the  patriarch 
should  take  offence. 

The  nunnery  of  Bshara  was  of  the  papal  Greek  de- 
nomination. It  had  twenty-two  inmates,  beside,  in  an- 
other apartment  of  the  building,  two  priests,  who  con- 
ducted the  religious  services  of  the  institution.  They 
accepted  a  Bible,  a  New  Testament  and  a  Book  of  Gen- 
esis. There  was  a  very  marked  difference  between  the 
spirit  manifested  here  and  that  which  appeared  in  the 
IMaronite  nunnery  in  the  immediate  vicinity,  called  Mar 
Elee-as.  This  latter  had  four  priests  and  forty  nuns. 
AVhcn  a  Bible  was  offered  for  the  use  of  the  nuns,  one 
of  the  priests  objected,  saying  there  were  mistakes  in  the 
book.     Being  challenged  to  prove  it,  he  went  and  brought 

^  When  subsequently  the  persecuted  Shidiak  visited  tliis  prelate  for 
advice  and  instruction,  one  of  the  priests  whispered  in  his  ear,  "  If 
you  want  to  know  good  tobacco,  go  to  the  patriarch." 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  75 

his  own  Arabic  Bible,  and  found  the  two  were  precisely 
alike.  He  was  confounded  and  fell  into  a  violent  pas- 
sion, railing  vehemently  against  the  Protestants  for  re- 
jecting the  Christian  doctrines,  particularly  the  seven 
sacraments,  and  often  quoting  St.  Augustine.  When 
Mr.  Fisk  called  his  attention  repeatedly  to  the  words  of 
Christ  and  asked,  "  What  need  have  we  of  St.  Augustine  ?'' 
he  replied,  "What  need  have  we  of  Christ ?''  The 
anger  of  the  man  was  quieted  at  last  by  the  interference 
of  another  priest.  The  visitors,  having  made  another 
ineffectual  attempt  to  introduce  a  copy  of  the  Scriptures, 
took  their  leave. 

Messrs.  Fisk,  King  and  Way  made  an  excursion  over 
the  mountains  by  way  of  Tripoli,  Canobeen  and  the 
Cedars.  At  Tripoli,  two  days  north  of  Beirut,  on  the 
sea-coast,  they  opened  their  boxes  of  sacred  merchan- 
dise, and  the  people,  after  manifesting  a  good  deal  of 
timidity,  at  last  ventured  to  buy  a  hundred  books  for 
twenty  dollars.  One  Turk  bought  a  Bible,  another 
a  Xew  Testament,  and  a  third  a  New  Testament  and  a 
copy  of  Genesis.  In  the  evening  the  brethren  sought 
an  interview  with  the  Greek  bishop  of  the  place,  who 
received  them  kindly.  The  next  day,  breaking  off  at  a 
right  angle  from  the  sea-coast,  they  set  out  for  the 
mountains,  and  in  nine  hours  came  to  the  Convent  of 
Kos-hy-a.  Its  site  was  on  the  almost  perpendicular  side 
of  a  mountain,  at  the  bottom  of  a  frightful  chasm,  and 
it  contained  about  a  hundred  Maronite  monks.  They 
seemed  dirty,  stupid  and  ignorant.  Not  more  than  one- 
fourth  of  them  could  read.  They  had  a  press  with 
which  they  printed  their  church  books  in  Syriac,  and  in 
Arabic  with  Syriac  letters.  This  last  they  call  Carshoon 
printing.   They  had  no  Arabic  type.    When  the  su2)erior 


76  BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

was  asked  about  his  belief  in  tlie  Scriptures,  he  gave  the 
usual  stereotyped  reply :  ^^  I  believe  what  the  Church 
believes/^  One  of  the  priests  revealed  something  of  the 
extent  of  his  knowledge  of  the  gospel  by  asserting  that 
St.  Paul,  before  being  converted  to  Christianity,  was  a 
pagan.  The  travelers  spent  a  Sabbath  with  this  un- 
taught company  of  people,  and  had  with  some  of  them 
very  long  conversations,  not  without  effect,  for  one  of 
them  declared  in  private  his  conviction  that  the  Protest- 
ant views  of  Christian  doctrine  were  right. 

The  next  place  of  interest  was  the  Convent  of  Cano- 
been,  the  summer  residence  of  the  Maronite  patriarch. 
"  We  first  ascended  a  very  steep  mountain,"  says  Mr. 
Fisk,  '^and  then  descended  one  of  the  steepest  I  ever 
attempted  to  pass.  The  road  turns  so  often  as  nearly  to 
double  the  distance,  and  yet  it  is  almost  impassable  for 
steepness.  We  often  crossed  narrow  ways,  with  a  stu- 
pendous precipice  above  us  of  immense  rocks  piled  upon 
each  other  almost  perpendicularly,  and  with  a  similar 
precipice  below  us.'^  The  newly-elected  patriarch  re- 
ceived them  civilly.  Simple-minded  man  !  he  had  not 
yet  learned  what  ravening  wolves  were  concealed  be- 
neath the  harmless-looking  sheep  he  was  beholding. 
He  even  ventured  to  accept  at  their  hands  the  gift  of  an 
Arabic  Bible  and  a  Syriac  New  Testament.* 

From  Canobeen  the  travelers  proceeded  to  the  village 
of  Eh-he-den,  distant  a  couple  of  hours,  where  they 
spent  the  night  with  the  liberal-minded  sheikh  Lattoof. 
They  found  Eh-he-den  to  be  one  of  the  most  elevated, 

■^  He  estimated  the  Maronite  nation  at  one  hundred  to  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  thousand  souls.  They  had  forty  or  fifty  convents  and 
ten  or  twelve  bishops.  The  priests  are  by  others  reckoned  to  be 
about  one  thousand,  and  the  monks  and  nuns  at  sixteen  hundred. 


BIBLE   WORK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS.  77 

flourishing  and  beautiful  villages  of  the  mountains,  and 
might  well  be  called  what  its  name  rather  suggests — the 
Eden  or  Paradise  of  Lebanon.  The  aged  sheikh  had  in 
the  course  of  his  life  been  considerably  occupied  in  busi- 
ness transactions  with  French  residents  in  Tripoli,  and 
was  able  to  hold  conversation  in  that  language,  but  his 
subjects  were  all  bigoted  Maronites.  No  books  were 
sold  here,  and  no  free  conversations  were  had  among 
the  people. 

The  next  night  the  brethren  were  entertained  at  the 
house  of  Sheikh  Girgis,  of  Besherry,  whose  generous 
and  cordial  hospitality  reminded  them  more  than  any- 
thing they  had  hitherto  met  with  of  the  noble  treatment 
of  strangers  by  Arabs  of  which  they  had  read. 

The  brethren  had  now  to  some  extent  explored  the 
two  extremes  of  the  Maronite  population — the  Kesru-an 
district  and  the  Gib-bee — and  had  reached  the  northern 
boundary  of  the  Emeer  Besheer's  dominions.  And  here 
stands,  like  a  venerable  monument,  the  only  clump  of 
ancient  Lebanon  cedars  that  has  been  saved  from  the  de^ 
vouring  tooth  of  time  and  the  woodman's  axe.  Other  trees 
of  the  same  kind,  of  more  recent  growth,  are  found  in 
different  places,  which  are  freely  used,  as  needed,  for  timber 
or  for  fuel,  but  these  are  held  by  the  people  in  religious 
reverence,  and  are  likely  to  continue  increasing  in  size 
and  in  number  for  ages  yet  to  come.  They  are  clustered 
tos^ether  within  a  circumference  of  less  than  a  mile  at 
the  foot  of  some  of  the  very  highest  ridges  of  Lebanon, 
which  sweep  around  them  like  the  seats  of  an  amphi- 
theatre. Their  number,  on  being  counted,  was  found  to 
be  more  than  three  hundred,  of  all  heights  and  sizes, 
from  the  very  lowest  to  those  of  ninety  feet  in  height 
and  near  forty  in  circumference.     The  fruit  of  the  trees 

7  * 


78  BIBLE   WOKK    IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

is  a  large  scaly  truncated  cone  like  those  of  the  pine,  but 
barrel-shaped,  and  groAvs  upward  from  the  upper  side 
of  the  branches.  The  body  of  the  cedar  is  straight  and 
sends  out  horizontal  branches,  shor  ening  as  they  ascend, 
till  the  top  of  the  tree  is  the  point  of  a  cone. 

Passing  eastward,  the  travelers  found  themselves  in 
half  an  hour  on  the  other  side  of  the  mountain  ridge, 
descending  into  Coelosyria,  the  hollow  or  plain  of  Syria, 
now  called  by  the  natives  the  Bkaa.  In  the  south-east, 
twenty  miles  or  more  distant,  were  visible  the  ruins  of 
Baal  bee,  to  which  they  were  now  directing  their  course. 
They  did  not  reach  the  place  that  day,  but  tarried  for 
the  night  at  a  miserable,  dirty  village  called  Dyah  el 
Ahhmar,  or  the  red  village,  and  put  up  for  the  night  in 
a  mean,  dirty  room  with  the  earth  for  a  floor. 

Baalbec,  as  a  village,  is  at  present  quite  insignificant, 
and  is  inhabited  by  Muslims  of  the  sect  called  Meta- 
wallies.  Originally  it  was  called  by  the  Greeks  Heli- 
opolis,  the  city  of  the  sun.  It  is  situated  on  the  eastern 
border  of  the  vast  plain  called  the  Valley  of  Baalbec. 
Being  watered  by  a  copious  fountain  gushing  forth  from 
the  foot  of  Antilebanon,  and  having  at  its  door  the  pro- 
ducts of  an  immense  fertile  plain,  it  was  once  a  large 
and  powerful  metropolis.  Its  fame  in  modern  times  has 
been  due  to  the  colossal  and  imperishable  ruins  of  its 
temple.  Mr.  Fisk,  at  his  present  visit,  took  an  accurate 
measurement  of  the  walls  of  this  temple  and  of  the  stu- 
pendous materials  of  which  they  were  composed.  At  the 
north-west  corner  of  the  outer  wall  w^ere  twelve  or  fifteen 
stones  thirty  feet  long  by  ten  or  twelve  in  breadth  and 
height,  or  three  thousand  solid  feet  or  more  each.  Three 
other  stones  were  of  the  same  breadth  and  height  and 
fifty-eight  in  length,  and  one  other  of  the  length  of  sixty- 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS.  79 

eight  feet.  Moreover,  this  huge  block  of  stone,  of  the 
size  of  a  small  farm-house,  was  found  inserted  in  the 
wall  on  the  top  of  three  tiers  of  stones  each  fifteen  feet 
in  height.  Who  lifted  it  and  adjusted  it  in  its  place 
in  the  wall  forty-five  feet  above  its  foundation?  The 
natives  said  it  was  the  work  of  angels.  A  block  still 
larger  than  any  of  the  above  was  found  at  the  quarry 
close  by,  hewn  out  on  three  sides,  but  never  detached 
from  the  rock  of  which  it  formed  a  part. 

Within  the  outer  enclosure  were  great  numbers  of 
ornamental  columns,  some  of  which  were  yet  standing, 
others  lying  prostrate,  whose  pedestals,  however,  still 
remained  in  their  places.  In  the  southern  part  of  the 
enclosed  area  was  a  small  temple  by  itself  exquisitely 
adorned  with  carvings. 

From  Baalbec  the  party  turned  westward  by  way  of 
Zdhh-leh,  where  they  spent  a  night,  and  the  next  day 
ended  the  week,  Saturday  evening,  at  Deir  er  Rugm, 
otherwise  called  Mar  Ephram.  This  convent  has  al- 
ready been  mentioned  as  one  of  the  two  establishments 
of  the  kind  belonging  to  the  papal  Syrians  of  the 
mountains.  The  new  patriarch,  Peter  Jarwi,  was  at 
the  time  making  the  place  his  residence.  The  precious 
flock  of  this  "chief  shepherd,^^  as  he  called  himself, 
consisted,  so  far  as  Mount  Lebanon  w^as  concerned,  of 
one  ex-patriarch,  a  bishop  and  priest  at  Deir  Sharfeh, 
and  eight  or  ten  priests  and  monks  at  Mar  Ephram, 
a  flock  of  thirteen  all  told.  He,  however,  professed  to 
have  one  other  bishop  in  Beirut,  two  in  Aleppo  and 
two  more  in  Mesopotamia.  He  was  building  an  addition 
to  his  convent  and  pretended  that  he  still  expected  to 
put  his  press  in  operation.  He  denied  that  he  went  to 
England  to  ask  help  from  the  Protestants,  but  said  they 


80  BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS. 

gave  of  their  own  accord  and  without  conditions  as  to 
how  the  money  should  be  expended.  He  expressed 
gratitude  to  Mr.  Clymer,  the  American  who  gave  him 
the  printing  press,  but  none  to  the  English  who  gave 
him  the  money. 

In  his  doctrinal  views  the  patriarch  showed  himself  a 
thorough-bred  papist,  saying  that  under  the  form  of 
bread  the  laity  receive  the  blood  as  well  as  the  body  of 
Jesus  Christ,  because  that  which  was  given  them  was 
his  true,  living  body  which  could  not  be  without  blood, 
saying  also  that  outside  the  Romish  Church  there  could 
be  no  salvation,  that  the  English  had  no  priesthood, 
and  that  all  these  efforts  of  various  societies  to  convert 
Jews,  Turks,  etc.,  would  be  found  useless.  His  treat- 
ment of  these  guests  of  his  was  nothing  more  than  cold 
civility.  During  the  Sabbath  they  had  no  small  dis- 
putation with  the  monks.  Sometimes  nearly  all  of 
them  were  present.  "  We  told  them,^'  says  Mr.  Fisk, 
"some  plain  truths  about  their  popish  doctrines  and 
practices,  such,  I  suspect,  as  they  never  heard  before.^^ 

Returning  to  Antoora  the  brethren  visited  the  neigh- 
boring Armenian  convent  of  Krym*  and  the  ancient 
Maronite  college  of  Ain  Waraka,  which  is  the  chief 
school  for  the  higher  branches  among  the  people  of  that 
sect,  and  is  under  the  personal  control  of  the  patriarch. 
In  company  with  the  Rev.  Mr.  Jowett  from  Malta,  Mr. 
Fisk  made  a  second  call  at  the  convent  of  Bzum-mar. 
They  carried  with  them  Bibles  and  Testaments,  of 
which  they  sold  near  twenty  dollars'  worth.  Mr.  Fisk 
says :  "  I  have  seen   no  convent  so  good  or  so  neat  as 

*  This  convent  also,  like  that  of  Bzum-m^r,  had  a  school  for  young 
men.  The  only  other  Armenian  convent  in  Lebanon  is  Beit  Khashbo, 
an  hour's  walk  or  more  northward  from  Krym. 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS.  81 

Bziini-mar,  nor  have  I  anywhere  on  the  mountains  met 
with  men  of  equal  talents  and  acquisitions.  They  are 
clever,  enterprising  and  persevering." 

Mr.  King  on  arriving  in  the  region  of  Beirut  took  up 
liis  residence  at  Deir  el  Kommer,  Avhere  he  could  study 
and  speak  and  hear  nothing  but  Arabic.  This  place, 
though  it  may  fall  a  little  below  its  rival  Zahh-leh  in  its 
population,  was  nevertheless  very  properly  called  the 
capital  of  the  mountains,  as  being  in  the  immediate 
vicinity  of  the  seat  of  government  at  Bteddeen.  The 
record  of  the  toleration  and  mild  treatment  of  Mr.  King 
in  this  large  village  is  interesting  as  showing  in  what 
light  Protestantism  was  viewed  by  the  natives  and  with 
what  effect  it  fell  upon  the  mass  of  popish  minds  to  which 
it  was  then  first  presented.  A  few  incidents  only  of 
this  record  can  be  introduced  here. 

Mr.  King  one  day  went  to  the  church  to  witness  the 
baptism  of  a  child.  After  he  had  returned  home  a  con- 
siderable number  of  women  came  in  from  the  church 
and  took  seats  also  with  the  family.  On  finding  him- 
self in  such  a  company  of  veiled  females  he  felt  out 
of  place  and  rose  to  leave  the  room,  but  they  at  once 
objected,  and  laying  aside  their  veils  begged  him  to 
resume  his  seat.  They  acknowledged  that  they  were 
not  acting  after  the  stricter  social  customs  of  the  place, 
but  from  what  they  heard  of  him  they  considered  him 
an  exception  among  men,  and  so  they  made  him  no 
stranger,  but  a  friend.  Mr.  King  improved  the  occa- 
sion to  impress  upon  them  some  religious  truth,  and  as 
they  had  come  from  witnessing  a  baptism  he  took  the 
ISTew  Testament  and  read  and  expounded  to  them  the 
beginning  of  the  third  chapter  of  John  about  the  new 
birth.      They  all  listened  with  earnest  attention,  and 


82  BIBLE   WORK   IN    BIBLE   LANDS. 

begged  to  know  if  he  would  not  put  on  the  black  dress 
and  become  their  curate. 

At  another  time  he  took  up  a  church  book  that  con- 
tained what  was  said  in  the  caption  to  be  "  The  Ten 
Commandments  as  they  were  written  on  tables  of  stone 
and  given  to  Moses.^^  On  examination  he  found  that 
nothing  was  said  in  these  commandments  about  making 
or  worshiping  graven  images  or  other  likenesses.  The 
word  "  Sabbath  '^  was  turned  into  ^'  the  first  day  and 
the  feast  days,"  and  the  tenth  commandment  was  divided 
into  two.  This  to  Mr.  King  seems  to  have  been  a  new 
discovery.  He  was  well  aware  of  the  perversions  which 
popery  had  made  of  other  parts  of  Scripture,  but  that  it 
would  enter  the  holy  of  holies,  violate  the  ark  and  take 
such  liberties  with  the  tables  of  the  covenant,  and  withal 
give  out  that  no  change  had  been  made,  was  a  piece  of 
audacity  of  which  he  had  not  before  suspected  even 
Home  herself  to  be  guilty. 

''  Soon  after  I  had  read  this,"  says  Mr.  King,  "  the 
superior  of  the  convent  came  in,  and  I  remarked  to  him 
what  I  had  read,  and  observed  that  these  were  not  the 
Ten  Commandments  as  delivered  to  Moses ;  that  there 
was  still  another  commandment  not  found  here.  He 
seemed  angry,  and  tried  to  make  me  believe  that  I  was 
under  a  mistake.  I  told  him  it  was  in  vain  for  him  to 
try  to  do  that,  for  I  had  read  the  ten  commandments  in 
Hebrew,  and  that  everybody  knew  that  there  was  an- 
other commandment  which  says,  ^  Thou  shalt  not  make 
unto  thee  any  graven  image,  nor  any  likeness  of  any- 
thing/ etc.  I  really  felt  so  indignant  that  any  man 
should  dare  to  take  away  one  of  the  commandments  of 
God,  that  I  told  the  priest  plainly  it  was  an  impious 
thing  and   a  lie  to  say  that  these  were  the  ten  com- 


BIBLE   WORK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS.  83 

mandments  of  God  as  God  gave  them  to  Moses  while 
the  second  was  entirely  left  out,  the  fourth  one  changed 
and  the  tenth  divided."  His  teacher  then  put  in  his 
voice,  saying,  "If  these  were  the  commandments  of  the 
church,  they  were  the  commandments  of  God/'  Mr. 
King  replied  that  this  was  not  true,  for  that  some  of  the 
popes  had  said  one  thing  and  others  had  said  the  oppo- 
site, and  could  they  both  be  from  God  ?  But  the  teacher 
would  not  believe  that  the  priests  had  kept  back  the 
second  commandment,  and  said  he  would  bring  a  Jew 
and  inquire  of  him  whether  such  a  commandment  was 
in  the  Jewish  books.  He  saw  it  was  in  Mr.  King's 
Bible,  but  that  was  printed  in  England;  it  might  be 
false.  He  sent  for  a  Bible  printed  at  Home,  which 
must  be  true.  Mr.  King  opened  it  at  the  place  and  told 
him  to  read,  and  to  his  astonishment  he  found  the  truth 
had  been  told  him. 

At  one  time  a  priest  from  the  village  called  and  in- 
troduced the  question  whether  Mary  were  the  mother  of 
any  other  children  beside  Jesus.  Mr.  King  gave  some 
reasons  to  believe  that  she  was.  "  God  forbid !''  said 
the  priest;  "God  pardon  us!''  Saying  this,  he  left  the 
room  in  anger  and  went  and  took  his  seat  with  the  fam- 
ily and  began  to  talk  against  Mr.  King  in  a  great  rage 
for  attempting  to  blast  the  reputation  of  Mary.  Mr. 
King  rose  to  go  to  him.  His  teacher,  fearing  a  quarrel, 
begged  him  not  to  go ;  bilt  he  went,  and  taking  a  seat 
beside  him,  said  mildly,  "Aboona,  I  wish  to  say  one 
thing.  We  profess  to  be  disciples  of  Christ,  to  be  his 
followers;  it  does  not  become  us  to  speak  with  anger. 
Christ  was  humble,  and  when  men  oj^posed  him  he  did 
not  fall  into  a  passion." 

"  True/'  said  the  priest. 


84  BIBLE   WORK   IN    BIBLE   LANDS. 

Mr.  King  proceeded :  ^^  Here  now  are  Muslims  around 
us  and  many  who  do  not  believe  in  Jesus  Christ.  Let 
us  show  to  them  that  we  are  Christians  by  our  love  one 
to  another  and  by  our  meekness.  If  I  am  in  the  dark 
I  wish  to  be  enlightened.  I  do  not  wish  to  remain  in 
darkness  and  go  to  destruction." 

"  While  I  said  this,"  says  Mr.  King,  ^'  the  eyes  of  all 
were  fastened  on  us  and  the  whole  house  was  silent. 
The  padre  seemed  confused  and  ashamed,  and  said, 
*  What  you  say  is  true.'  " 

Mr.  King  then  added,  "  I  have  one  question  to  ask 
you,  Aboona,  and  then  I  have  done.  When  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  commissioned  his  disciples  to  go  and  preach, 
what  did  he  tell  them  to  preach,  himself  or  his  mother  ? 
and  what  did  they  preach?  They  preached  Jesus  Christ 
and  him  crucified,  salvation  through  his  blood  and  in- 
tercession alone — not  one  word  about  Mary.  There  is 
not  one  syllable  in  all  the  epistles  of  Paul  and  the  other 
apostles  about  Mary." 

All  present  listened  attentively,  and  the  priest  said 
calmly,  "When  you  become  well  acquainted  with  Arabic, 
I  shall  be  glad  to  converse  with  you  more." 

Upon  the  arrival  from  America  of  Messrs.  Goodell 
and  Bird  with  their  families  at  Beirut,  Mr.  King  bid 
adieu,  though  not  a  final  one,  to  his  kind  friends  in 
Deir  el  Kommer  that  he  might  come  to  the  aid  of  his 
new  associates.  The  circumstances  attending  his  depar- 
ture he  thus  describes : 

"A  little  before  I  left  them  the  family  appeared  very 
sorrowful,  and  some  of  them  wept.  The  mother  wept 
much,  and  the  priest  with  whom  I  had  often  conversed 
sobbed  like  a  child.  I  improved  this  occasion  to  tell 
the  priest  his  duty  as  a  pastor,  and  spoke  of  the  great 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  85 

(lay  of  account,  the  responsibility  that  rested  on  him  and 
his  duty  to  search  the  Scriptures.  The  family  I  ex- 
horted to  prepare  for  death  and  the  solemn  scenes  of 
eternity,  to  love  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  to  read  the  word 
of  God  and  have  regard  to  all  his  ten  commandments. 

"  It  was  truly  an  interesting  scene,  and  I  was  surprised 
to  see  the  feeling  they  manifested.  As  I  left  the  house 
they  loaded  me  with  blessings,  and  as  I  passed  through 
the  street  many  commended  me  to  the  care  and  protec- 
tion of  the  Lord." 


CHAPTEK  V. 

Bishop  Monsignor  Gandolfi  at  Beirut — A  Maronite  priest — Depar- 
ture of  two  of  the  brethren  for  Jerusalem — Visits  at  Sidon,  Tyre, 
Bossa,  Acca,  Nazareth,  Nabhis  and  Jerusalem. 

AS  for  us  new-comers  who  were  waiting  for  the  ar- 
rival of  our  brother  from  the  mountains,  we  found 
it  a  great  gratification  and  relief,  on  entering  among  this 
people  of  new  customs  and  of  a  strange  language,  to 
be  met  by  an  old  acquaintance  with  whom  in  our  own 
land  we  had  often  taken  sweet  counsel  and  gone  to  the 
house  of  God  in  company.  He  was  dressed  in  Arab 
style,  with  loose  robes  and  a  thick,  venerable  beard,  and 
streams  of  Arabic  were  flowing  from  his  lips  as  he  ad- 
dressed himself  to  the  natives  around  him.  It  was  quite 
evident  that  since  commencing  his  work  in  the  land  he 
had  made  good  use  of  his  time  and  his  tongue. 

On  the  third  evening  after  our  landing  we  had  the  op- 
portunity of  spending  an  hour  in  company  with  the  pope's 
vicar,  Monsignor  Gandolfi,  of  Antoora.  He  had  come 
down  from  his  mountain  residence  to  perform  the  mar- 
riage ceremony  of  the  French  consul  and  his  bride.  This 
being  over,  he  had  called  in  for  an  evening's  chat  with 
his  familiar  friends.  Consul  Abbott  and  his  lady,  at  whose 
house  we  had  been  hitherto  hospitably  entertained. 
The  opinions  of  this  papal  high  priest  and  the  freedom 
with  which  he  avowed  them  astonished  us.  He  was 
utterly  sick  of  Syria.  He  was  seventy-four  years  old 
and  had   lived  in  the  country  thirty-nine  years.     The 

86 


BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS. 


87 


sufferings  he  had  undergone  during  his  residence  here  no 
one  could  tell  nor  would  any  one  believe.  Once  he  was 
assaulted,  threatened  and  stabbed  at  by  the  Druzes ;  often 
had  he  struggles  with  injustice,  hypocrisy  and  baseness 
of  every  kind,  such  as  had  destroyed  all  his  confidence 


THE   BEV.   JONAS   KING,    D.J).,    IN    ORIENTAL    COSTUME. 

in  the  people.  The  Spirit  of  God  had  long  since  left; 
them.  Various  were  the  sects  and  parties  that  had 
resorted  to  him  as  umpire  in  their  endless  disputes,  and 
so  great  had   been  the  numbers  whom  he  had   been 


88  BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

obliged  to  entertain  at  his  house  that  his  salary  had  been 
quite  insufficient  to  save  him  from  poverty.  He  sold 
one  farm  some  time  ago  to  meet  his  necessary  expenses, 
and  now  more  lately  he  had  been  forced  to  dispose  of 
another.  For  a  number  of  years  past  the  Catholic  mis- 
sions here  had  been  neglected  by  the  church,  and  for 
himself  he  would  leave  the  country  as  soon  as  he  conve- 
niently could.  The  English  travelers  who  had  called 
on  him  had  always  given  him  pleasure,  and  the  Ameri- 
can Protestants  had  been  objects  of  his  cordial  friendship 
from  the  first  of  his  acquaintance  with  them.  But  this 
native  people  were  of  a  different  stamp.  This  terra 
santa,  this  land  of  holiness,  had  become  a  land  of  devils. 
It  was  no  longer  the  blessed^  but  the  accursed,  land.  He 
had  had  transactions  of  various  kinds  with  princes  and 
people  of  all  grades,  with  patriarchs,  bishops,  priests, 
monks  and  laymen,  and  not  one  man  of  integrity  had  he 
found  among  them  all ! 

The  intention  of  the  two  newly-arrived  families  had 
been  to  push  directly  on  to  Jerusalem  and  at  once  take 
U23  their  permanent  station  at  that  city.  But  the  Avinter 
storms  had  begun,  and  our  advisers,  especially  the  con- 
sul, who  knew  the  country  and  the  climate  best,  said 
that  for  families  like  ours  to  undertake  a  journey  of  two 
hundred  miles,  in  such  a  country  and  at  such  a  season, 
was  quite  out  of  the  question.  We  accordingly  pro- 
ceeded to  obtain  a  home  for  the  winter  at  Beirut.  Mr. 
King  took  up  his  quarters  for  a  time  with  us. 

One  evening,  soon  after  we  had  entered  our  new 
habitation,  we  received  a  visit  from  a  near  neighbor,  a 
Maronite  priest  whose  name  was  Simeon.  His  white 
beard  and  solemn  demeanor  impressed  us  with  venera- 
tion.    He  brought  with  him,  as  a  sort  of  introduction, 


BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS.  89 

a  present  for  the  ladies  of  two  beautiful  young  pigeons, 
white  as  the  snow  of  Lebanon.  In  return  we  offered 
hira  a  copy  of  the  Arabic  Bible,  but  he  refused  to  accept 
it  as  a  present,  saying  it  would  not  be  right  before  God 
to  do  so ;  it  was  a  good  book  and  worth  paying  for,  and 
we  were  good  people  for  bringing  such  good  books  into 
the  country.  He  then  took  out  a  Spanish  dollar  and 
said  he  should  feel  better  to  give  that  for  the  book  than 
to  receive  it  as  a  gift.  This  was  probably  the  first  time 
that  he,  though  a  priest  and  a  man  of  three-score  years 
and  ten,  had  ever  possessed  the  entire  Bible,  and  this 
was  the  first  time  that  a  native  Syrian  had  been  known 
to  insist  on  paying  for  it. 

The  next  day  it  was  discovered  that  the  two  white 
pigeons  had  found  means  to  escape  from  their  place  of 
confinement  and  had  fled.  But  in  the  evening,  behold, 
our  very  reverend  neighbor  the  priest  makes  a  second 
call,  bringing  the  little  escaped  prisoners  in  his  arms. 
When  we  had  thanked  him  anew  for  his  kindness,  he 
said,  in  a  meek  and  serious  manner,  "  When  the  infant 
Jesus  was  brought  to  the  temple,  and  the  aged  Simeon 
took  him  in  his  arms  and  blessed  him,  the  parents  of 
the  child,  being  poor,  had  nothing  to  bring  but  a  pair 
of  turtle-doves  or  two  young  pigeons,  and  when  I  heard 
of  the  arrival  of  these  two  good  women  I  asked  myself, 
*  What  have  I  to  bring  them  V  and  being  poor,  I  could 
think  of  nothing  but  these  two  young  pigeons." 

As  we  had  had  no  reason  to  expect  so  special  a  mark 
of  attention  from  a  Maronite  priest,  we  considered  it  the 
more  binding  on  us  to  reciprocate  his  friendly  advances. 
Accordingly,  we  called  on  him  a  few  days  after  and 
found  him  living  quite  alone  in  a  solitary  upper  cham- 
ber, the  entire  furniture  of  which  consisted  of  three  old 


90  BIBLE   WORK   IN   BIBLE    LANDS. 

pipes,  a  native  lamp  of  coarse  pottery,  a  mat  on  which 
he  was  sitting,  a  small  box  and  two  or  three  other 
articles  of  little  value.  All  that  we  saw  might  be  pur- 
chased new  in  the  market  for  less  than  five  Spanish  dol- 
lars. According  to  the  ancient  custom  of  his  church, 
and  which  papal  policy  connives  at  in  favor  of  the 
Maronites,  though  a  priest,  he  had  been  married.  A 
son  of  his  was  now  residing  near  Antoora,  and  a  daugh- 
ter in  Deir  el  Kommer.  Our  call  upon  him  was  short, 
and  he  was  a  man  so  studious  of  peace  that  no  serious 
discussion  was  indulged  in.  Our  acquaintance  with  the 
old  man  thus  pleasantly  begun  lasted  unchanged  for 
many  years.  He  was  a  rare  specimen  of  a  Romish 
priest.  In  his  professions  of  regard  for  us  we  always 
believed  him  sincere.  Though  obliged  to  conform  some- 
what to  the  persecuting  measures  of  his  superiors,  he 
evidently  sympathized  in  heart  more  with  us  than  with 
them. 

One  Sabbath  day,  on  returning  from  our  worship  at  the 
consuFs,  we  found  the  owner  of  our  house,  a  Muslim, 
seated  on  the  sofa,  having  called  to  pay  his  friendly 
respects.  His  attendant,  a  papal  Greek,  had  taken  up 
the  Arabic  Bible  he  had  found  upon  the  table  and  was 
reading  it  to  his  master.  Mr.  King,  having  received  the 
book,  turned  to  the  history  of  Joseph  and  read  a  por- 
tion of  the  story,  and  told  the  rest  in  his  own  words. 
Seeing  the  Mohammedan  interested  he  proceeded  to 
give  him  a  brief  summary  of  the  true  Christian  faith, 
saying  we  believe  truly,  as  do  the  Muslims,  that  there  is 
no  god  hut  God,  that  we  worship  only  the  one  living 
and  true  God,  that  we  consider  it  profane  to  worship 
pictures  or  saints  or  angels,  that  we  never  go  to  a  priest 
to  obtain  forgiveness  of  our  sins,  but  only  to  God  him- 


BIBLE    WOUK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  91 

self,  and  so  on.  The  Muslim  declared  it  was  all  good, 
and  turning  to  the  man  whom  he  had  brought  with  him 
he  began  to  reproach  him  as  an  idolater  for  bowing  down 
before  images  and  praying  to  saints.  "You  are  all 
wrong,"  said  he;  "all  going  astray.  One  Englishman 
is  worth  fifty  of  you."  Mr.  King  frequently  encountered 
Muslims  in  the  streets  and  at  their  shops,  and  had  re- 
ligious conversation  with  them  with  uniform  good 
nature  and  evident  good  effect. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Jowett,  returning  from  Jerusalem, 
whither  he  had  gone  in  company  with  Mr.  Fisk,  was 
invited  to  a  home  at  our  house.  In  giving  us  an  ac- 
count of  his  travels,  he  said  he  had  made  his  journey 
with  very  little  precaution  and  entirely  without  arms. 
Once  he  was  stopped,  but  without  any  threatened  danger 
either  to  life  or  limb.  Turks,  he  said,  were  afraid  of  Eng- 
lishmen, and  intimidation  was  the  only  way  in  which  you 
could  obtain  good  treatment  from  them ;  you  will  not  get 
it  by  flattery.  The  English  are  safe  here,  but  for  the 
natives  there  is  no  security  for  a  single  day.  At  Acca 
constant  exactions  were  laid  upon  the  people,  as  if  the 
government  were  making  the  experiment  to  see  how 
much  they  would  bear,  and  it  was  really  astonishing  how 
much  they  icould  bear.  But  in  these  levies  upon  the 
people  there  was  no  partiality.  Muslims  had  to  take 
their  share  as  well  as  Jews  and  Christians.  Some  few 
days  ago  twenty-five  Muslims  at  Acca  were  soundly 
bastinadoed  for  attempting  to  make  their  escape  from 
the  oppressions  of  the  city.  When  a  new  governor 
lately  arrived  at  Jerusalem  many  of  the  most  respect- 
able inhabitants  went  before  him  in  their  tattered  gar- 
ments and  made  such  a  representation  of  their  distress 
that  the  Turk  was  affected  to  tears.     "  But,"  replied  he, 


92  BIBLE    WORK    IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

"  I  can  do  nothing  for  you,  nor  can  you  expect  any 
better  state  of  things  at  present,  for  even  your  brothers, 
whom  I  have  just  left  at  Constantinople,  are  no  better 
off  than  you."  Some  of  the  poor  monks  at  Jerusalem 
were  in  great  tribulation,  and  lived  as  if  they  had  the 
impression  that  tlie  government  might  the  next  day 
send  for  their  heads. 

That  our  associate,  Mr.  Fisk,  might  not  dwell  alone 
at  Jerusalem,  and  that  a  practical  examination  might  be 
made  to  ascertain  the  feasibility  of  a  removal  of  one  or 
both  of  our  missionary  families  to  the  city  or  neighbor- 
hood of  Jerusalem,  it  was  concluded  that  Mr.  Bird 
with  Mr.  King  should  repair  for  a  while  to  that  city. 

On  the  morning  of  the  2d  of  January,  1824,  we  who 
were  set  apart  for  the  journey  were  in  readiness.  Mr. 
Jowett  read  a  portion  of  the  20th  chapter  of  the  Acts,  and 
we  all  kneeled  down  and  prayed ;  and  so,  being  recom- 
mended by  the  brethren  unto  the  grace  of  God,  we  de- 
parted. We  halted  on  the  Sabbath  at  Sidon,  where  we 
were  entertained  by  the  English  agent,  Yacob  Abcarius, 
or,  as  he  was  more  commonly  called,  Yacob  Aga.  This 
man  had  formerly  been  an  archbishop  in  the  Armenian 
church,  and  as  such  was  held  in  high  estimation  by  his 
sect.  He  had  spent  years  in  the  national  convent  in  the 
holy  city,  as  well  as  at  Echmiazeen,  the  ecclesiastical 
metropolis  of  his  nation.  Endowed  by  nature  with  a 
fine  personal  appearance,  dignified  in  his  deportment, 
well  gifted  in  mind  and  rather  fond  of  public  life,  he 
had  been  promoted  to  the  episcopacy,  and  had  enjoyed 
the  confidence  of  his  church  to  that  extent  that  he  had 
been  selected  on  some  occasions  to  conduct  their  diplo- 
matic concerns  at  the  capital.    But  becoming  utterly  dis- 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  93 

gusted  with  the  corruptions  of  the  clergy  and  convinced 
of  their  errors  in  doctrine  he  gave  them  up,  married  a 
wife  at  Beirut  and  accepted  the  office  of  an  agent  under 
the  English  consul.* 

At  Tyre  we  were  received  and  "lodged  two  days 
courteously"  by  a  brother-in-law  of  Mr.  King's  late 
teacher  in  Deir  el  Kommer.  His  wife  was  a  prodigy  in 
the  land  because  she  was  able  to  read.  Among  the 
ruins  of  this  famous  city  we  observed  a  magnificent 
column  of  red  Egyptian  granite.  It  would  have  been 
removed  long  ago  to  Acca  to  grace  some  new  structure 
in  that  city,  but  its  giant  size  was  too  great  for  any 
modern  Pasha  to  lift.  It  formed  the  best  part  of  a 
native  garden  wall.  It  lay  in  near  connection  with  the 
high  walls  still  standing  of  some  vast  church  or  cathedral, 
conjectured  by  some  to  be  that  known  to  have  been 
built  here  by  Constantine  and  consecrated  by  Eusebius 
of  Csesarea,  father  of  church  history. 

Near  Acca  (or  Acre)  we  found  it  convenient  to  spend 
a  night  in  a  small  village  called  Bossa,  on  the  left  of 
the  direct  road  to  Acca.     In  the  evening  the  muleteers 

*  His  former  life,  in  one  respect,  had  not  been  without  reproach. 
But  in  this  particular  his  conduct  would  not  suffer  in  comparison 
with  that  of  his  ecclesiastical  compeers  in  the  best  standing;  nor 
was  he  complained  of  for  this  delinquency  until  he  began  his  ap- 
proach toward  a  reformation  by  becoming  the  husband  of  one  wife. 
For  the  public  services  he  had  rendered  to  the  church  he  had  accepted 
a  reward  of  two  or  three  thousand  dollars.  He  afterwards  lent 
this  money,  at  high  interest,  to  the  convent  at  Jerusalem  and  lived 
upon  the  income.  After  paying  the  interest  several  years  the  con- 
vent suddenly  stopped  payment,  not  because  it  was  not  due,  but  under 
the  sole  plea  of  poverty.  Yet  a  respectable  English  traveler,  who 
passed  this  way  in  1827,  has  ventured  to  characterize  this  man  as 
"  one  of  the  rascally  converts  of  the  missionaries  who  had  run  away 
with  the  money  of  his  convent." 


94  BIBLE    WORK   IN   BIBLE    LANDS. 

and  the  people  whom  the  arrival  of  strangers  had  at- 
tracted together  sat  and  heard  with  attention  what  Mr. 
King  had  to  say  to  them,  while  he  read  the  New  Testa- 
ment and  expounded  it  by  order  unto  them.  One  of 
our  men,  an  old  Muslim,  often  exclaimed,  "  truth," 
"  truth,"  "  that's  a  man  of  wisdom,"  "  as  for  us,  we  are 
all  beasts."  Two  or  three  others  gave  signs  of  their 
interest  by  using  the  common  exclamation,  '^  Lord  have 
mercy  upon  us." 

In  the  morning  we  set  off  for  Acca,  proceeding  directly 
west.  We  had  scarcely  got  clear  from  the  houses  of  the 
village  before  we  began  to  hear  calls  from  behind. 
We  turned  and  saw  a  little  troop  of  people  streaming 
out  from  the  village  in  haste  to  overtake  us.  One  of 
them  was  the  priest  of  the  village.  They  had  heard 
that  we  carried  the  gospel  and  other  books  to  be  dis- 
posed of.  They  wished  to  see  them.  While  they  were 
opening  and  examining  them,  kissing  our  hands  and 
gazing  at  us  wonderingly,  a  poor  blind  man  came  pick- 
ing his  way  carefully  along,  and  as  soon  as  he  came  to 
the  crowd  he  began  to  exhort  his  townsmen,  saying  with 
lifted  voice :  "  Buy  the  gospel,  my  friends,  buy  it — it 
will  do  you  good."  He  reminded  us  of  the  blind  son 
of  Timeus,  who,  in  the  face  of  the  crowd  at  Jericho, 
manifested  in  a  loud  voice  his  faith  in  "  Jesus  the  son  of 
David."  The  people  took  a  number  of  copies  of  the 
Book  of  Genesis,  the  Psalms  and  New  Testament. 
The  priest  wanted  the  entire  Bible,  but  we  could  only 
refer  him  to  our  d^pot  in  Acca,  telling  him  the  price 
would  be  five  piasters.     He  said  "all  right." 

After  Mr.  King  had  exhorted  them  to  study  the 
word  of  God  attentively  and  ex|Tessed  his  hope  that 
it  would  make  them  wise  unto  salvation,  we  continued 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  95 

on  our  way.  In  a  very  few  hours  we  were  in  the  house 
over  which  waved  the  flag  of  England  in  the  city  of 
Acca. 

The  most  ancient  name  of  this  city  was  written  in 
Hebrew,  Aco,  the  middle  letter  being  marked  as  double. 
Judges  i.  31.  Strabo  (b.  c.  50)  wrote  the  name  in 
Greek,  Ak-e;  the  native  Arabs  now  call  it  Acca  or 
Akkeh.  Ptolemy  I.,  King  of  Egypt  and  Syria  (b.  c. 
300),  gave  the  city  the  new  name  of  Ptolemais,  but  this, 
though  common  in  the  time  of  our  Saviour,  was  probably 
never  fully  adopted  by  the  people  of  the  country,  and 
has  long  since  gone  out  of  use. 

It  is  the  only  well-fortified  city  on  the  Syrian  coast, 
and  has  perhaps  the  best  harbor,  though  this  latter  is 
not  much  to  say.  In  the  history  of  the  Crusades  it 
occupies  a  very  prominent  position.  The  Knights  of 
St.  John  made  it  their  stronghold.  Here,  in  the  year 
1291,  after  having  been  driven  from  every  other  spot  in 
the  land,  they  were  besieged  by  the  exasperated  Sultan 
Ashraf,  and  the  whole  garrison  of  twelve  thousand  men 
are  said  to  have  perished  either  in  the  stormy  sea  as 
they  attempted  to  get  on  board  their  ships,  or  by  being 
struck  down  with  the  sword  of  their  conquerors.* 

Our  sense  of  security  from  the  savage-looking  men 
without  made  some  amends  for  the  eccentricities  and 
cold  reserve  we  met  with  from  our  sub-consular  host, 
Mr.  M.,  who  seemed  to  take  special  pains  to  show  liis 
antipathy  to  everything  religious.  We  visited  a  school 
in  the  city  where  we  found  in  the  teacher  another  mem- 

*  Napoleon  Bonaparte  besieged  the  place  in  1799,  but  the  garrison, 
aided  by  the  English  navy  under  Sir  Sidney  Smith,  made  a  success- 
ful defence.  Ibrahim  Pasha  took  the  city  by  assault  in  May,  1832, 
and  in  the  name  of  the  sultan  the  combined  fleets  of  Austria  and 
England  retook  it  November  3,  1840. 


96  BTBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

ber  of  the  priesthood.  He  was  seated,  cudgel  in  hand, 
giving  out  various  orders  to  a  company  of  forty  spirited 
Arab  boys.  The  clamor  of  the  lads  and  the  still  more 
powerful  voice  of  the  teacher  were  almost  deafening. 
Mr.  King  begged  leave  to  address  a  few  words  to  the 
school,  which  was  granted.  He  spoke  to  them  briefly 
on  the  value  of  the  Bible,  which  was  the  word  of  God, 
saying  that  all  Christian  children  ought  to  read  it ;  that 
all  would  be  judged  by  it,  and  therefore  ought  to  regu- 
late their  lives  by  it;  that  all  persons  were  bound  to  love 
in  their  hearts  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  as  our  Saviour, 
and  so  on.  They  looked  around  upon  one  another  at 
this  strange  talk  from  strange  lips;  some  smiled,  but 
others  listened  thoughtfully.  The  consular  dragoman 
who  accompanied  us,  as  well  as  the  teacher,  evidently 
did  not  relish  the  remarks,  and  we  stayed  but  a  short 
time. 

From  the  school  we  stepped  into  the  adjoining  church 
and  into  the  chamber  of  the  priests.  Here  we  found 
three  of  the  inmates  sitting  in  company  with  three  or 
four  of  the  common  people.  Mr.  King  began  to  speak 
to  them  about  the  Arabic  Bible  which  had  been  lately 
printed  by  benevolent  Christian  people  in  Europe  and 
sent  to  the  people  of  this  country  for  their  benefit.  He 
spoke  also  of  the  difference  there  is  in  the  sight  of  God 
between  that  part  of  religion  which  was  seen  in  outward 
worship  and  that  which  was  unseen  in  the  heart.  One 
of  the  priests  offered  a  few  replies  approvingly,  but  the 
two  others  sat  as  mute  and  unmoved  as  if  all  that  had 
been  said  to  them  had  been  in  an  unknown  tongue  or 
had  relation  only  to  affairs  of  the  people  of  the  moon. 
One  of  the  laymen  made  a  sensible  remark  or  two,  and 
at  the  close,  as  we  retired,  one  of  the  mute  priests,  to 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  97 

show  that  we  did  not  depart  under  his  curse  or  displeas- 
ure, followed  us  to  the  door,  and  with  special  courtesy 
sprinkled  us  with  rose-water. 

In  the  evening  of  the  Sabbath  which  we  spent  here 
we  made  a  call  in  company  with  Mr.  M.  on  the  Aus- 
trian consul.  Conversation  turned  on  some  of  the  doc- 
trines of  religion.  A  Muslim,  one  of  the  attendants  of 
the  consul,  began  to  find  fault  with  our  doctrine  of  the 
Trinity.  Mr.  King  of  course  stood  up  in  its  defence, 
showing  by  various  illustrations  that  though  we  could 
not  comprehend  it  or  explain  it  fully,  yet  it  could  not 
be  called  an  absurdity.  The  discussion  became  consid- 
erably extended  and  earnest,  though  in  the  utmost  good 
nature.  The  consul,  though  a  Romanist,  was  in  rapt 
attention,  but  Mr.  M.  rose,  saying  our  call  was  getting 
to  be  too  much  prolonged.  "Oh  no,  sir,"  exclaimed 
the  consul.  "  Do  not  break  off  this  subject ;  it  is  ex- 
ceedingly interesting."  But  as  we  were  with  Mr.  M. 
in  the  relation  of  guests,  we  considered  it  impolite  for 
us  to  trespass  farther  on  his  patience,  and  so,  following 
his  move,  we  took  our  leave. 

The  next  day  we  arrived  at  Nazareth  and  found  a 
lodging-place  in  the  Romish  convent.  Probably  we 
were  the  last  of  our  class  of  men  that  enjoyed  such  a 
privilege.  Orders  were  even  at  that  time  on  their  way 
from  Rome  requiring  the  monks  to  exclude  from  their 
hospitality  all  men  employed  in  Bible  distribution. 

We  found  in  this  spacious  establishment  only  six  in- 
mates, where  in  flourishing  times  they  had  had  twenty. 
Ali  Bey  in  1807  reports  them  to  have  been  thirteen,  of 
whom  nine  were  Spaniards.  In  the  time  of  Burckhardt 
(1812)  they  were  eleven.  There  was  a  long  suite  of 
rooms  on  each  side  of  the  convent  gallery  entirely  empty, 

9 


98 


BIBLE   WORK    IN   BIBLE    LANDS. 


and  for  the  most  part  of  the  time  apparently  quite  use- 
less. In  one  room  of  the  building  there  was  a  small 
school,  taught  by  a  sprightly  young  native  who  had 
been  educated  in  Rome  and  who  conversed  with  us  flu- 
ently in  Italian. 

One  of  the  monks  conducted  us  round  to  see  the  in- 


NAZARETH. 


teresting  objects  afforded  by  the  convent — the  paintings, 
the  tapestry,  and  particularly  the  rich  priestly  robes, 
adorned  with  gold  and  silver,  nicely  packed  away  in 
several  ample  chests.  As  he  entertained  us  the  while 
with  conversation  in  Italian  he  complained  that  the 
establishment  had  been  left  to  languish  very  much  dur- 
ing these  latter  years.  France  particularly  had  failed 
to  send  her  usual  remittances.  Spain  had  been  wanting, 
too,  as  it  appeared,  since  her  nine  monks  of  1807  had 


BIBLE   WORK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS.  99 

nearly  or  quite  all  disappeared,  and  if  it  had  not  been 
for  Portugal  they  might  have  been  obliged  to  abandon 
the  convent  altogether,  "  but  Portugal,"  said  he,  "  non 
manca  maV^  (never  fails). 

He  showed  us  the  room  under  the  chapel  where  lived 
the  blessed  virgin,  and  the  rocky  wall  blackened  by  the 
smoke  of  her  kitchen  fire.  Just  at  the  entrance  into 
this  room  we  observed  the  fragment  of  a  column  two  or 
three  feet  long  in  a  hanging  position,  being  fastened  at 
the  top  by  mason  work  into  the  floor  of  the  chapel  above 
it;  another  corresponding  fragment  was  fixed  in  the 
ground  below,  as  if  once  they  had  been  united,  forming 
but  one  solid  pillar.  Two  different  traditions  were 
handed  down  respecting  this  mysterious  phenomenon. 
One  was  that  the  rude  Saracens,  when  they  conquered 
the  country,  wantonly  broke  the  column,  and  God  by  a 
miracle  held  the  upper  part  of  it  suspended  thus  in  the 
air;  the  other  explanation  was  that  when  the  angel 
came  to  announce  the  glad  news  to  Mary  he  stood  be- 
hind this  pillar,  and  his  voice  shivering  the  centre  of  it 
into  fragments  these  two  parts  were  left  in  their  present 
situation,  and  when  this  convent  was  built  the  upper 
piece  of  the  column  was  found  still  hanging  in  mid-air 
and  the  floor  of  the  chapel  had  to  be  built  around  it  as 
we  saw  it.  But  the  monk,  probably  believing  us  to  be 
Protestants  and  ready  to  make  objections,  anticipated  us 
by  saying,  "  For  myself,  I  do  not  fully  believe  that  this 
was  all  one  column,  for  you  see  the  upper  piece  is  gran- 
ite and  the  lower  one  is  marble." 

We  were  conducted  out  to  the  traditional  hill  from  the 
brow  of  which  the  Nazarenes  would  have  thrown  Jesus 
down.  It  was  a  fourth  of  a  mile  distant  from  the  presen !: 
village.     Mr.  Jowett  seems  to  give  credit  to  this  tradi- 


100  BIBLE   WORK   IN   BIBLE    LANDS. 

tion.  Other  travelers,  however,  are  pointed  to  a  differ- 
ent locality. 

Concerning  this  murderous  attempt  upon  the  life  of 
Jesus  a  most  extraordinary  account  is  given  in  a  large 
Latin  book  which  we  found  in  one  of  our  rooms  in  the 
convent.  It  was  a  book  composed  expressly  to  be  a 
guide  to  pilgrims  visiting  the  '^holy  places,"  and  printed 
probably  at  Rome.  Under  the  head  '^  Nazareth"  was 
found  this  entertaining  narrative,  in  which  all  devout 
Catholics  who  never  had  a  Bible  would  be  vastly  inter- 
ested : 

"  The  populace  of  this  village  being  enraged  at  a  cer- 
tain speech  that  Jesus  made  to  them,  seized  him,  dragged 
him  to  a  neighboring  precipice  and  threw  him  down 
headlong.  He  fell  upon  a  rock.  The  rock  melted  at 
his  touch  and  received  him  into  its  soft  bosom,  from 
which  he  rose  unharmed  and  went  his  way,  leaving  be- 
hind him  the  exact  form  of  his  body  and  the  folds  of 
his  dress  as  if  they  had  been  skilfully  wrought  in  the 
rock  by  the  graver's  tool."  * 

The  last  place  of  importance  which  we  passed  was 
Nablus.  This  is,  as  the  Arabs  call  the  place,  a  corrup- 
tion of  Neapolis  (new  city.)  Epiphanius  changes  Nablus 
into  Anablatha,  as  Ramah  is  changed  into  Aramathea. 
Josephus  calls  the  city  both  Neapolis  and  Sichem.  It 
was  one  of  the  chief  cities  of  ancient  Samaria,  the  ruins 

*  The  hill  or  mountain  of  Nazareth  is  an  eminence  of  many  miles 
in  extent,  coming  down  from  the  north-east  and  terminating  rocky 
and  precipitous,  overlooking  the  plain  of  Jezreel,  a  little  south-west 
of  this  village.  The  present  site  of  Nazareth  is  probably  the  same 
that  it  always  was,  not  upon  the  toj?,  but  upon  the  eastern  slope  of 
this  mountain  range,  some  little  distance  above  its  foot,  where  is 
found  the  fountain  which  gave  the  town  its  life  doubtless  from  the 
very  first. 


BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS.  101 

of  whose  capital  are  still  visible  a  few  miles  off.  If 
Sichern  is  the  same  place  as  Sychar,  as  many  suppose, 
then  Nablus  was  the  place  of  residence  of  the  woman 
whom  Jesus  met  at  the  well  of  Jacob. 

This  city  is  the  religious  capital  of  the  Samaritan 
nation.  We  made  a  call  on  their  high-priest  Salami. 
He  was  a  man  of  a  demeanor  rather  venerable,  of  the 
age,  as  he  said,  of  forty  years,  and  the  only  legitimate 
priest  of  God  in  all  Palestine  or  perhaps  in  the  world. 
He  was  of  the  sons  of  Aaron,  and  had  regularly  suc- 
ceeded his  great  ancestor  in  the  priesthood,  and  his  only 
son,  who  was  present  before  us,  was  to  succeed  him,  for 
the  line  could  never  run  out  nor  be  broken.  There 
were  about  sixty  families  of  his  nation  in  the  city  who 
worshiped  in  his  synagogue.  But  in  other  parts  of  the 
world  there  were  nations  of  Samaritans,  especially  the 
native  Indians  of  America.  Mr.  King  told  him  the 
native  Indians  were  savages;  they  had  no  books  and 
no  learning.  That^  he  said,  was  a  lie,  for  they  had  both. 
Jesus,  he  said,  was  the  first  of  infidels,  because  he  called 
himself  the  Son  of  God ;  however,  as  his  works  were 
good,  Samaritans  did  not  think  it  right  to  curse  him. 
As  to  the  interview  between  Jesus  and  the  woman  at 
the  well,  all  that  was  true  about  it  was  that  Jesus  made 
some  simple  inquiries  about  the  well,  and  the  woman 
informed  him  that  it  was  the  well  of  our  father  Jacob; 
all  the  rest  of  the  story  that  is  told  in  the  gospel  of  the 
Christians  was  a  lie.  The  Samaritans  offer  the  sacrifice 
of  a  lamb  once  a  year,  but  not  on  the  mountain,  for  fear 
of  the  Mohammedans.  (Dr.  Robinson  understood  seven 
lambs  on  the  mountain.)  This  sacrifice,  however,  he 
said,  is  not  for  sin,  but  merely  as  a  memorial  of  former 
things :  men  were  not  saved  by  sacrifices  nor  by  a  me- 


102  BIBLE   WORK   IN    BIBLE   LANDS. 

diator ;  those  who  had  sinned  must  repent,  but  for  those 
who,  like  himself,  had  never  sinned,  not  even  this  was 
necessary.  On  being  pressed  a  little,  however,  on  this 
])oint  of  sinlessness,  he  seemed  to  allow  the  possibility 
that  he  might  have  some  particle  of  sin  attached  to  him, 
but  (putting  the  nails  of  his  thumb  and  finger  together 
as  if  he  were  pinching  a  pin's  head)  he  intimated  it  to 
be  quite  an  unappreciable  quantity;  he  had  always 
loved  God  with  all  his  heart  and  his  neighbor  as 
himself ! 

Mr.  King  reminded  him  of  the  great  promises  of 
prosperity  made  to  God's  people  in  case  of  their  obedi- 
ence, and  of  the  curses  that  should  come  upon  them  if 
they  rebelled,  and  then  told  him  that  the  low  state  of 
the  Samaritan  nation  was  owing  to  the  rejection  by  his 
people  of  the  great  Prophet,  the  Messiah,  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ. 

He  admitted  that  the  nation  exhibited  the  appearance 
of  being  under  a  curse,  and  that  their  present  scattered 
and  depressed  condition  was  from  the  hand  of  God,  but 
that  Jesus  Christ  had  anything  to  do  with  it,  that  was 
all  a  lie. 

When  Mr.  King  proposed  that  we  should  visit  his 
synagogue  and  look  at  the  ancient  copy  of  the  Penta- 
teuch which  he  possessed  in  the  Hebrew  language,  he 
hesitated,  as  if  in  doubt  whether  to  consent  or  not,  made 
some  frivolous  excuses,  and  finally  he  could  not  find 
the  key. 

Mr.  King  said  humorously  to  the  rabbi,  "  I  can  tell 
you  where  the  key  of  your  synagogue  is :  it  is  in  my 
purse.''  The  rabbi  took  the  hint  and  joined  in  the 
laugh.  The  key  being  now  discovered,  he  led  the  way 
to  the  holy  place,  brought  out  the  sacred  manuscript 


BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS.  103 

and  suffered  Mr.  King  to  take  it  into  his  own  hands  to 
read  it — a  liberty  which  Mr.  Fisk,  when  there,  was  not 
allowed  to  assume.  The  book  was  found  to  contain  the 
ten  commandments  in  Exodus  just  as  we  have  them 
from  the  Jews,  but  a  supernumerary  one  is  added  at  the 
close,  in  these  words:  "Thou  shalt  make  to  thee  an 
altar  of  stones  on  Mount  Gerizim." 

Wishing  to  visit  the  ruins  of  the  ancient  Samaria,  we 
sent  a  request  to  the  governor  for  one  of  his  soldiers  to 
go  with  us  as  a  guard.  Word  came  back  that  the  soldier 
should  be  ready,  but  meantime  the  governor  would  be 
glad  to  see  us  at  his  quarters.  We  went  accordingly 
and  were  well  received.  The  governor,  finding  that  Mr. 
King  spoke  easily  in  Arabic,  made  considerable  con- 
versation.    He  said, 

"  I  hear  that  you  have  no  pictures  in  your  churches ; 
is  it  so  ?" 

"  It  is,"  answered  Mr.  King.  ''  Our  holy  book  for- 
bids the  worshiping  of  images  and  pictures.  It  says, 
*  Thou  shalt  not  make  unto  thee  any  graven  image,  or 
any  likeness  of  any  thing  that  is  in  heaven  above,  or 
that  is  in  the  earth  beneath,  or  that  is  in  the  water  under 
the  earth :  thou  shalt  not  bow  down  thyself  to  them, 
nor  serve  them.'  We  may  have  pictures  in  our  houses 
for  ornament,  but  never  for  worship." 

"  That,"  said  the  governor,  "  is  a  very  different  thing 
from  having  them  in  the  churches.  Do  you  believe 
Christ  to  be  God  ?" 

"  We  believe  that  there  is  but  one  God,  existing  as 
Father,  Son  and  Holy  Ghost.  This  distinction  I  cannot 
explain.  We  do  not  believe  that  there  are  three  Gods, 
neither  do  we  believe  that  Christ  is  the  Son  of  God  as  a 
son  is  the  child  of  an  earthly  father.     We  believe  that 


104  BIBLE   WORK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

God  gave  him  the  Spirit  without  measure,  that  God  was 
with  him,  and  that  they  are  one/^ 

The  governor  listened  calmly  without  any  mark  of 
disapprobation,  but  some  of  the  Turks  around  him  ex- 
claimed, ^'  Istogfr  Allah  !  Istogfr  Allah  !"  (God  forbid  !) 

During  the  dialogue  a  collection  of  people  assembled 
about  the  door,  some  of  whom  came  within.  Perhaps 
there  were  fifty  men  crowded  together  to  gaze  and 
listen.  Before  them  all  Mr.  King  declared  the  message 
of  the  gospel — that  all  men  are  by  nature  sinners  and  as 
such  are  liable  to  punishment,  that  Christ  as  the  Son  of 
man  died  to  redeem  us,  and  that  there  is  no  salvation 
but  by  his  blood. 

We  left  Yoosef,  our  dragoman,  to  give  the  necessary 
presents  to  the  governor's  attendants,  who,  as  he  after- 
ward told  us,  set  upon  him  rudely  to  get  his  money,  but 
the  governor  himself,  to  the  last,  showed  all  politeness, 
and  sent  us  a  request  that  we  would  favor  him  with 
another  interview. 

Samaria,  now  called  Sebaste,  we  found  to  have  occupied 
a  hemispherical  eminence  quite  isolated  from  other  hills 
that  surrounded  it.  The  foundations  of  its  wall  of  defence 
were  still  plain  to  be  seen.  One  long  row  of  standing 
columns  remained  on  the  southern  slope  of  the  hill,  with 
others  elsewhere  standing  or  lying  separately ;  the  walls 
of  one  large  building  were  seen  having  yet  a  height  of 
some  twenty  feet.  The  remains  of  an  old  aqueduct  were 
found  in  the  valley  below,  with  a  small  stream  of  water 
still  traversing  the  broken  pipes.  A  low  hut,  half  under 
ground,  contained  all  the  specimens  we  saw  of  humanity 
in  this  once  strong  capital  of  the  idolatrous  Israelites. 
We  left  with  them  a  copy  of  the  New  Testament,  which, 
though   none   of  them  could  read  it,  niiglit  stimulate 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  105 

them  to  learn,  or  which  some  friend  might  be  found  to 
read  to  them. 

The  second  day  from  Nablus  brought  us  to  the  holy 
city.  As  we  approached  the  heart  beat  high  with  ex- 
pectation. The  summit  of  the  Mount  of  Olives  began 
at  length  to  show  itself  above  the  surrounding  hills,  and 
suddenly  the  eye  caught  the  broad,  green  dome  of  the 
Mosque  of  Omar  brooding  proudly  and  profanely  over 
the  hallowed  spot  where  once  rested  the  ark  of  God's 
covenant  and  his  mercy-seat.  Then  were  observed  the 
lesser  objects  of  interest — the  mass  of  the  city  buildings, 
the  mosques  with  their  high  and  slender  minarets  or 
towers,  the  broad-walled  Christian  churches  and  convents 
and  the  perfectly  irregular  jumble  of  little  domes  and 
terraces  of  private  dwellings.  The  hojila  of  travelers 
moved  rapidly  on.  We  could  not  be  permitted  to  halt 
as  we  would  and  enjoy  for  a  few  moments  the  rush  of 
thought  and  emotion  produced  by  this  thrilling  sight, 
but  we  deeply  sympathized  with  the  royal  poet  when  he 
said,  "  I  was  glad  when  they  said  unto  me,  Let  us  go 
unto  the  house  of  the  Lord :  our  feet  shall  stand  within 
thy  gates,  O  Jerusalem.'' 

We  entered  the  city  with  the  rest  of  our  little  caravan 
at  the  western  or  Jaffa  gate  and  proceeded  directly  to 
the  Greek  convent  of  St.  Michael,  where  we  found  our 
brother  Mr.  Fisk  and  associate  in  good  health,  and 
where  the  friendly  superior  was  very  ready  to  supply 
us  with  lodgings. 

Mr.  King  in  a  few  days  left  us,  expecting  to  be  obliged 
to  visit  Damascus  in  order  to  obtain  a  competent  in- 
structor in  the  Arabic  language,  but  on  arriving  at  Jaffa 
he  met  with  such  a  man  as  he  wished,  and  concluded  to 
remain  in  that  city  till  spring. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

Preaching  at  Jerusalem — Papas  E-sa — Deacon  Cesar — Sale  of  Scrip- 
tures— Bible  men  arrested — Omar  Effendi — Congratulations  at  our 
release — Arrival  of  the  Jaffa  consul's  son^Visit  to  the  governor 
and  the  mooUah — Our  rooms  opened — Rapid  sale  of  Testaments. 

MR.  FISK  had  already  begun  to  preach  sermons 
occasionally  at  his  room  in  the  Greek  language 
as  well  as  in  the  Italian.  His  audience  consisted  of  six 
or  eight  natives  at  most,  but,  considering  the  peculiar 
state  of  society  in  Jerusalem,  this  number  was  perhaps 
as  large  as  could  be  reasonably  expected.  On  account 
of  the  strong  sectarian  zeal  that  prevailed  in  the  city 
every  man  was  well  marked  and  guarded  by  some 
spiritual  watchman  or  overseer.  This  oversight  was  not 
as  jealous  and  strict  among  the  Greeks  as  among  some 
of  the  other  sects,  since  their  depressed  circumstances  at 
this  time  made  it  a  matter  of  interest  to  them  to  culti- 
vate the  good- will  of  the  Protestants,  to  whom  they  let 
their  convents.  Two  men  of  the  Greek  denomination, 
men  of  considerable  importance,  were  always  present  at 
the  preaching  of  Mr.  Fisk,  one  a  priest,  the  other  a 
deacon.  Papas  E-sa  Petros  (priest  Jesus  Peter)  was  a 
native  of  the  country  and  a  man  of  more  learning,  prob- 
ably, than  any  other  Christian  in  Jerusalem.  He  spoke 
fluently  four  or  five  diiferent  languages,  and  could  read 
more  or  less  easily  about  fifteen.  He  read  and  spoke 
well  the  French  language,  and  had  evidently  borrowed 
many  of  his  ideas,  both  political  and  religious,  from  the 

lOti 


BIBLE   WORK    IN   BIBLE   LANDS.  107 

French.  He  often  inquired  particularly  about  the 
creed  and  customs  of  Protestants,  and  said  freely  that 
the  English  and  American  churches  were  more  like  the 
primitive  Christians  than  any  other  churches  on  earth. 
He  was  employed  extensively  by  Messrs.  Wolft",  Jowett 
and  Fisk  as  a  translator  of  books  and  tracts  into  Arabic, 
and  in  this  department  his  services  were  invaluable. 

Deacon  Cesar,  of  whom  mention  is  made  in  the  jour- 
nals of  Mr.  Parsons,  was  connected  with  the  principal 
Greek  convent  in  the  city.  He  was  a  young  man  of  un- 
common promise,  comely  in  person,  easy  and  modest  in 
manners  and  of  an  active,  inquiring  mind,  yet  strongly 
attached  to  the  superstitions  in  which  he  had  been  edu- 
cated. He  came  and  requested  Mr.  Fisk  to  teach  him 
Italian,  proposing,  in  return,  to  assist  him  in  his  Arabic. 
They  two,  in  consequence,  spent  a  part  of  almost  every 
day  together  reading  the  Scriptures  and  conversing 
freely  about  the  doctrines  of  religion.  It  was  believed 
that  he  had  begun  to  understand  and  practically  to  feel 
the  difference  between  real  and  mere  nominal  Chris- 
tianity. 

As  the  pilgrims  were  beginning  to  collect  at  Jerusa- 
lem from  various  parts  of  the  country,  our  work  of  book 
and  tract  distribution  assumed  a  considerable  degree  of 
importance.  One  day  our  young  man  Yoosef  went  out 
with  his  books  and  in  two  or  three  hours^  time  returned, 
bringing  us  five  or  six  dollars  for  the  books  he  had  sold. 
Still  more  books  had  been  asked  for,  and  he  went  out 
the  next  day  with  about  the  same  success. 

It  appears  that  tidings  of  these  things  came  to  the 
ears  of  certain  of  the  chief  priests  and  scribes  which 
dwelt  in  Jerusalem,  and  they  doubted  of  them  where- 
unto  this  would  grow.     If  they  should  let  it  thus  alone 


108  BIBLE   WORK   IN    BIBLE   LANDS. 

all  Jerusalem  might  perad venture  be  filled  with  the 
apostles'  doctrine,  and  the  English  heretics  would  come 
and  take  away  both  their  place  and  nation.  They 
therefi^re  took  counsel  together  what  they  might  do  to 
stop  these  proceedings.  Their  plan  was  quickly  matured 
and  its  execution  begun.  At  about  one  o'clock  in  the 
day,  as  Mr.  Fisk  and  myself  were  occupied  in  our  dif- 
ferent rooms  with  our  teachers,  Moosa  Beg,  the  governor's 
sheriff,  with  half  a  dozen  attendants,  made  his  appear- 
ance in  our  part  of  the  convent,  and  after  considerable 
delay,  during  which  he  maintained  an  ominous  silence 
as  to  the  object  of  his  visit  and  kept  up  a  continual  in- 
terchange of  messages  with  the  Latin  convent,  he  ordered 
us  to  accompany  him  before  the  authorities  of  the  city. 

First  he  brought  us  before  the  moollah  or  judge.  He 
was  occupying  his  judgment-seat,  with  two  or  three  as- 
sistant judges  or  scribes  at  his  side  and  with  many  sur- 
rounding attendants.  He  spoke  to  our  young  drago- 
man, saying,  "  Demand  of  these  men  who  they  are  and 
why  they  assume  the  liberty  of  wearing  the  white 
turban.'' 

Mr.  Fisk  replied,  "We  are  English  (under  English 
protection),  and  all  Englishmen  wear  the  white  turban." 

"That  is  false,"  said  he,  and  waving  his  finger 
threateningly,  he  added,  "you  can't  do  that  without  a 
firman." 

"  Behold  the  firman  !"  said  Mr.  Fisk,  pulling  it  from 
his  bosom. 

The  judge  took  the  document,  cast  a  hasty  glance 
over  it,  and,  immediately  changing  his  tone,  requested 
us  to  be  seated.  "  But,"  said  he,  still  holding  the  paper 
in  his  hand,  "  this  is  a  traveling  firman ;  it  gives  you  no 
license  to  be  trading  in  books.     Why  do  you  take  the 


BIBLE   WOBK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  109 

liberty  to  be  scattering  about  such  things  as  these  (hold- 
ing up  one  of  our  books),  which  are  neither  Christian 
books,  nor  Mohammedan,  nor  Jewish,  which  contain 
fabulous  stories  that  are  profitable  for  nobody  and  which 
nobody  of  sense  will  read  V^  Saying  this,  he  cast  the 
book  contemptuously  upon  the  floor. 

Mr.  Fisk  assured  him  that  the  books  we  sold  were 
the  Law,  the  Psalms  of  David  and  the  Gospels,  the 
same  books  which  Christians  in  all  ages  have  received 
and  acknowledged  as  their  holy  Scriptures,  and  to  sat- 
isfy himself  of  the  truth  of  this  statement  his  Honor 
need  do  nothing  more  than  just  to  send^and  liave  brought 
to  him  the  Christian  Scriptures  from  any  of  the  convents 
of  the  city  and  let  the  comparison  be  made  before  him. 
He  was  not,  however,  disposed  to  take  this  trouble,  but 
contented  himself  with  saying,  "  The  Latins  say  these  are 
not  Christian  boohsJ^  Accordingly,  as  if  this  testimony 
had  decided  the  case,  he  gave  in  Turkish,  as  our  drago- 
man afterwards  interpreted  it  to  us,  the  following  order 
to  Moosa  Beg : 

"  Take  these  men  to  the  governor,  and  with  my  com- 
pliments tell  him  to  put  tliem  in  confinement  and  send 
them  neither  pipes  nor  coifee  nor  anything  else  for  their 
comfort." 

But  notwithstanding  this  charge,  the  governor  received 
us  with  much  more  decency  than  the  moollah,  first  al- 
lowing us  to  be  seated  and  then  inquiring  after  our  na- 
tionality and  demanding  our  firman.  We  went  through 
with  much  the  same  examination  here  as  before  the 
judge,  the  governor  remarking,  as  the  judge  had  done, 
that  the  Latins  had  declared  that  our  books  were  not 
Christian  books.  While  the  process  of  examination  was 
going  on,  the  sheriff^  who  ^yas  sitting  by,  proposed   to 

10 


110  BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS. 

his  Excellency  to  have  the  sale  of  the  books  prohibited, 
and  then  immediately  called  a  crier^  and  handing  hira 
one  of  our  books  ordered  him  to  go  to  the  Armenian 
convent  and  proclaim  that  all  books  of  this  sort  were 
prohibited.  The  man  went  forth,  and,  as  it  afterwards 
appeared,  gave  orders  not  only  that  these  books  should 
not  be  bought  nor  sold,  but  also  that  all  those  that  had 
been  bought  should  be  given  up. 

The  governor,  finding  that  we  were  under  English 
protection  and  carried  with  us  a  regular  firman  from 
Constantinople,  was  not  disposed  to  send  us  to  the  com- 
mon prison,  but  gave  command  that  we  be  taken  to  the 
Latin  convent  and  held  in  custody  till  a  decision  on  our 
case  could  come  from  the  pasha  of  Damascus.  Our  ene- 
mies at  the  Latin  convent,  it  was  thought,  would  take 
excellent  care  that  we  should  not  escape.  But  being 
met  on  our'way  to  the  convent  by  a  messenger  who  said 
they  refused  us  admittance  at  the  convent,  our  guard 
took  us  for  the  moment  to  our  own  rooms.  Here  we 
found  men  busily  occupied  in  taking  an  inventory  of  all 
our  effects,  searching  closets  and  chests  and  making  a 
memorandum  of  everything,  as  if  the  proprietors  were 
defunct  and  all  was  to  be  immediately  sold  for  the  benefit 
of  the  creditors.  It  was  but  a  short  time  before  we  were 
remanded  back  to  the  governor's,  where,  we  were  told, 
we  must  spend  the  night.  Our  quarters  were  in  a  large, 
dark  basement  room  occupied  by  the  governor's  guards. 
These  men,  having  finished  their  work  for  the  day,  were 
busying  themselves,  some  in  preparing  coffee  and  food 
for  their  supper,  others  in  smoking  their  pipes  or  play- 
ing chess,  bestowing  on  us  not  the  slightest  attention. 
The  night  shut  in  ;  the  cold  wind  blew  through  the  open 
grated  windows,  the  little  flickering  lamp  scarcely  pre- 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  Ill 

vailed  against,  the  darkness,  and  as  we  sat  upon  the  bare 
stone  floor  and  gazed  upon  the  surrounding  objects,  the 
guards  and  the  smoked  walls  profusely  hung  round  with 
guns,  cutlasses  and  similar  instruments  of  death,  we  felt 
that  we  were  at  least  within  one  step  of  a  felon's  prison. 

About  ten  in  the  evening  our  young  dragoman,  whom 
we  still  kept  with  us,  was  sent  for  by  the  governor  to 
come  up  to  his  audience-room.  As  he  went  in  he  found 
tliere,  as  he  informed  us,  Omar  Effendi,  a  man  of  great 
influence  in  Jerusalem,  being  the  head  of  the  clan  of  the 
green  turbaUy  who  claim  to  be  the  lineal  descendants  of 
the  prophet.  He  had  been  acquainted  with  Mr.  Fisk  and 
other  Englishmen,  having  received  their  calls  and  wel- 
comed them  with  politeness.  The  Eifendi,  Yoosef  said, 
advised  the  governor  to  use  cautious  measures  lest  sever- 
ity should  cause  unpleasant  consequences.  In  reply  the 
governor,  as  if  to  palliate  his  conduct  hitherto,  inveighed 
against  the  books  as  being  mischievous  because  they 
presumed  to  call  "Saidna  Esa"  (our  Lord  Jesus)  the 
Son  of  God,  whereas  he  was  the  slave  of  God  (Abd  Allah). 
He  said  he  did  not  find  the  men  guilty  of  any  high  mis- 
demeanor, but  that  their  enemies  had  given  currency  to 
evil  reports.  Yoosef  was  told,  therefore,  to  go  down  to 
us  and  say  that  we  should  not  be  retained  in  confine- 
ment, and  that  to-morrow  all  would  be  amicably  settled, 
but  possibly  we  might,  after  being  dismissed,  be  required 
to  take  lodgings  in  some  other  convent. 

We  presented  ourselves  once  more  in  the  reception- 
room.  The  governor's  manner  was  visibly  softened. 
He  begged  us  to  be  seated  and  ordered  coffee  for  our 
refreshment.  A  few  inquiries  followed  similar  to  those 
of  the  afternoon,  and  of  course  the  same  answers  were 
repeated.     In  regard  to  Muslims'  taking  our  books  Mr. 


112  BIBLE    WOUK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

risk  explained,  saying  that  when  they  came  and  wanted 
them  we  did  not  refuse  them,  but  that  we  always  let 
them  know  that  they  were  Christian  books  and  intended 
especially  for  circulation  among  Christians.  The  gov- 
ernor then  made  apologies  and  assigned  us  a  chamber 
for  the  night  with  his  nephew,  Ho-sein  Beg.  The 
young  man  treated  us  with  all  possible  honor  and  made 
apologies  till  they  became  quite  tiresome. 

In  the  morning  Ho-sein  was  seen  in  his  bed-room  ad- 
joining performing  devotions  with  his  door  wide  open, 
kneeling  and  standing  by  turns,  often  on  his  knees  bend- 
ing forward  with  his  forehead  on  the  floor,  muttering 
w^ords  in  a  low  tone,  and  sometimes  fliintly  chanting. 
His  prayers  must  have  cost  him  half  an  hour's  time, 
while  the  governor's  brother,  who  slept  near  us,  des- 
patched his  in  five  minutes.*  The  governor  provided 
us  with  a  warm  breakfast  of  bread  and  eggs,  but  the 
keys  of  our  rooms  were  not  given  us.  Ho-sein  Beg  had 
assumed  a  studied  reserve,  and  the  governor  was  inacces- 
sible, being  thronged  with  company  the  whole  forenoon. 
After  long  hours  of  suspense  and  after  a  great  deal  of 
palaver,  we  rightly  guessed  they  were  playing  their  card 
for  what  they  call  a  baksheesh,  for  wdiether  guilty  or  in- 
nocent, an  accused  man  w^as  expected  to  pay  his  present. 
But  we  had  had  more  done  for  us  than  usual.  AYe  had 
not  only  been  accused,  but  a  governor's  guard  had  re- 
ceived us  at  our  very  door  and  marched  us  back  and 

*  Perhaps  the  beg's  devotions  may  have  received  an  inspiration  from 
the  circumstance  that  his  window  opened  directly  upon  the  court 
of  the  sacred  Mosque  of  Omar,  and  that  that  venerated  temple  was 
scarcely  a  stone's  throw  distant,  and  also  from  another  circumstance 
which  he  had  mentioned  to  us  the  evening  before,  viz.,  that  this  was 
the  same  house  in  which  our  Lord  Esa  (Jesus)  was  tried  and  con- 
demned. 


BIBLE  WORK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS.  113 

forth  in  dignified  procession  through  the  crowded  streets, 
and,  after  admitting  us  to  a  public  examination,  had 
lodged  us  under  the  very  roof  of  the  chief  magistrate  of 
the  city.  A  native  could  not  have  received  such  honor 
without  full  pay.  The  man  must  pay  when  his  irons 
are  put  on,  and  pay  when  they  are  taken  off.  But  we 
did  not  see  the  matter  just  in  that  light.  What  honor 
we  had  received  we  did  not  seek  and  would  not  pay 
for. 

To  conclude,  two  or  three  men  went  with  us  to  our 
rooms,  two  of  which  they  unlocked  for  us,  and  two 
others — one  of  them  being  our  large  depot  of  scriptures 
— they  left  locked,  and  put  on  the  government  seal.  This 
sealing,  however,  they  said,  was  to  be  for  a  few  days  only, 
and  simply  to  please  the  moollah.  After  this  they  took 
their  seats,  as  if  they  were  waiting  to  receive  something, 
but  they  were  plainly  told  they  could  expect  nothing  so 
long  as  our  doors  were  closed. 

Thus  ended  our  first  skirmish  with  the  united  forces 
of  the  beast  and  the  false  prophet.  They  had  imagined 
a  vain  thing,  and  He  that  sitteth  in  the  heavens  had 
them  in  derision.  It  was  only  a  skirmish,  but  its  issue 
was  a  good  omen  of  future  victory  whenever  the  de- 
cisive battle  should  come. 

Those  few  natives  who  had  been  our  friends  came 
forth  on  this  occasion  with  manifestations  of  sympathy 
and  courage.  Even  while  we  were  yet  in  custody  our 
lad  Constantine,  whom,  for  his  own  benefit  chiefly,  Mr. 
risk  had  given  some  little  employment,  had  come,  not- 
withstanding his  excessive  natural  timidity,  urging  his 
way  through  the  crowd  and  the  military  array  around 
the  palace,  to  discover  what  was  about  to  be  done  to  us. 
Georgis,  a  papist,  came  at  the  same  time,  proffering  his 

10* 


114  BIBLE   WORK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

service,  and  saying  he  was  ready,  if  we  wished,  to  go 
right  off  to  Jaffa  and  inform  the  consul  of  our  case. 
Deacon  Cesar,  the  young  Greek  pupil  of  Mr.  Fisk, 
wrote  him  a  line,  as  follows : 

"  Your  absence,  my  dear  master,  brings  to  my  soul 
much  affliction  and  melancholy,  and  as  I  cannot  come 
personally  to  see  you,  according  to  my  wish,  I  pray  you, 
from  a  distance,  be  of  good  courage  and  fear  not,  for 
God  is  with  you  and  will  soon  deliver  you  from  the 
hands  of  your  enemies.  Much  salutation  to  Mr.  Bird. 
^'  Your  afflicted  pupil,  Cesar. 

"P.S. — Kemember  the  saying  of  the  apostle:  ^All  that 
will  live  godly  in  Christ  Jesus  shall  suffer  persecution.' '^ 

After  our  liberation  came  Papas  Esa  to  call  on  us. 
In  a  solemn  and  feeling  manner  he  began,  saying, 
"I  have  slept  not  a  wink  all  night.  I  could  not 
imagine  why  honest  men,  sitting  peacefully  in  their 
house,  should  be  seized  and  carried  off  in  such  a  man- 
ner, like  criminals,  and  I  thought  of  nothing  but  that 
war  might  have  broken  out  between  England  and 
Turkey.  My  little  boy,  in  the  night,  began  to  speak 
of  you  and  to  ask  where  you  could  now  say  your 
prayers.  I  said,  ^My  son,  you  must  pray  for  them,' 
and  he  immediately  rose  from  his  couch  and  prayed.'' 

After  this  came  in  the  good  Deacon  Cesar,  and  in  a 
half  ecstasy  of  joy  seized  and  squeezed  our  hands  for 
some  time,  saying,  "  You  suffer  for  the  love  of  Christ ; 
our  hearts  have  been  with  you.  Nothing  since  the  death 
of  Procopius  has  produced  such  a  sensation  in  our  con- 
vent, for  we  are  sure  that  you  are  spending  your  lives 
for   our   good."     Esa,  a  blunt,  frank-hearted  Catholic 


BIBLE   WORK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS.  115 

carpenter,  entered  tlie  room,  and  first  of  all,  looking  up- 
ward, he  exclaimed,  "  Nishkur  Allah  !  nislikhur  Allah  ! 
(thank  God !)  my  wife  and  children  and  myself  have 
been  praying  to  Jesus  for  you  all  night  and  have  had 
no  sleep ;  thank  God,  you  are  safe  again !''  Then 
coming  up  and  kissing  our  hands,  he  repeated,  time 
after  time,  "  Nishkur  Allah  !'^  The  Syrian  priest  Isaac, 
also,  who  had  previously  brought  from  his  patriarch  in 
Mesopotamia  a  letter  of  introduction  to  Mr.  Fisk,  called 
to  offer  his  congratulations,  and  the  venerable  Greek 
metropolitans,  who  seldom  made  calls,  sent  their  ex- 
pressions of  joy  at  our  safety,  accompanied  by  a  substan- 
tial present,  such  as  Melchizedec  brought  to  Abraham. 

In  all  this  demonstration  of  regard  some  allowance, 
no  doubt,  was  due  to  Eastern  hyperbole  and  compli- 
ment, but,  as  a  whole,  it  was  made  with  an  air  of  truth 
and  sincerity  which  we  could  not  but  respect. 

We  were  sorry  to  learn  that  in  this  annoying  bluster 
of  "pope  and  pagan"  united  the  poor  Jews  had  to 
suffer  with  us.  No  mischief  could  be  stirring  but  a 
part  of  it  must  light  on  their  shoulders.  At  the  same 
time  that  we  were  arrested  the  governor  sent  also  to  the 
college,  as  it  was  called,  of  the  Polish  Jews,  and  turned 
out  all  that  were  in  it,  listening  to  no  remonstrance,  and 
sealed  up  the  doors.  The  plea  was,  "  You  have  Eng- 
lish books  here.''  The  doors  remained  closed,  of  course, 
till  they  were  opened  by  the  silver  key  that  fits  all  locks 
and  breaks  all  seals  in  Turkey. 

In  the  evening  of  the  day  of  our  liberation  we  pre- 
pared statements  of  what  had  happened  for  the  use  of 
our  friends  and  for  the  consuls  at  Jaffa  and  Beirut. 
Next  day  we  called  on  Omar  Effendi,  who  assured  us 
of  his  sympathy,  protested  by  the  prophet  and  by  his 


116  BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE   LAKDS. 

faith  that  he  knew  nothing  of  our  case  till  the  evening 
of  our  detention,  when  he  immediately  called  on  his 
Excellency  the  mutsellim  to  inquire  into  it,  and  as  soon 
as  he  understood  the  matter  he  told  his  Excellency  that 
it  would  not  do  to  treat  Englishmen  so.  The  books  he 
knew  to  be  Christian  books,  for  he  had  copies  of  them 
presented  him  two  or  three  years  ago.  We  informed 
him  that  some  of  our  papers  had  been  taken  to  the 
governor  and  not  restored.     He  promised  to  see  to  it. 

Next  day  a  servant  of  the  effendi  called,  bringing  us 
several  j^apers  which  he  had  obtained  at  the  palace, 
among  which  were  two  documents  that  had  been  en- 
trusted to  our  care,  directed  to  the  reverendissimo  of  the 
convents  of  the  Terra  Santa,  whose  arrival  at  Jerusalem 
was  daily  expected.  The  same  day  a  Jew  came,  and 
said  if  we  had  any  more  Hebrew  Bibles  a  friend  of  his 
would  be  glad  to  purchase  a  quantity.  Toward  evening 
also  came  an  Armenian  who,  after  assuring  us  of  the 
great  grief  their  convent  had  experienced  on  our  behalf, 
proposed  to  purchase  seven  or  eight  Armenian  Bibles. 
But  our  books  were  under  lock  and  seal,  and  no  crier 
had  yet  appeared  to  countermand  the  proclamation 
against  their  sale. 

Our  notice  sent  to  Mr.  Damiani,  consul  at  Jaifa, 
brought  us  his  son  Yoosef,  bearing  his  father's  consular 
firman.  AYe  attended  him  at  once  on  a  visit  to  the 
governor.  Mr.  Damiani  handed  him  his  father's  con- 
sular credentials,  the  khut  esh  shereef  of  the  sultan. 
His  Excellency,  as  was  due  from  a  servant  of  the  sul- 
tan, rose  at  once  from  his  sitting  posture,  unrolled  the 
large  sheet,  put  it  reverently  to  his  forehead  as  an  ac- 
knowledgment of  its  authority,  then  resuming  his  seat 
and  glancing  his  eye  over  the  document,  he  commenced 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  117 

again  to  make  his  apologies  to  tlic  young  consul.  He 
protested  that  it  was  an  affair  of  the  moollah,  wlio  sent 
these  two  men  unto  him  to  be  put  in  prison  and  in 
chains.  But  he  would  not  do  it,  and  appealed  to  us  to 
say  if  he  had  not  treated  us  well. 

The  judge,  when  we  called  with  the  consul,  was  a  lit- 
tle more  civil  than  before,  furnishing  sweetmeats,  pipes 
and  coffee,  as  to  other  decent  people.  But  he  still  car- 
ried a  high  look  and  spoke  in  a  haughty  tone.  The 
sultan's  khut  shereef  did  not  raise  him  from  his  seat  nor 
receive  his  kiss  of  homage.  After  casting  his  eye  over 
it  he  began  to  say  that  when  the  complaint  was  first 
brought  to  him  it  appeared  that  the  books  in  question 
were  being  sold  in  the  markets  to  Muslims  as  well  as 
Christians,  and  that  the  books  were  bad  books.  But  he 
had  now  to  say  that  the  books  and  all  things  taken  from 
us  should  be  restored  and  the  sealed  doors  opened,  but  on 
condition  that  we  should  sell  no  books  to  Muslims,  for 
they  contained  things  that  would  make  Muslims  angry. 
He  then  took  up  the  Book  of  Genesis  and  began  read- 
ing aloud,  as  if  to  give  us  a  specimen  of  how  it  would 
enrage  Muslims.  When  he  came  to  "  the  Spirit  of  God 
moved  upon  the  face  of  the  waters,''  he  a  second  time 
tossed  the  book  upon  the  floor,  saying,  "  That  is  infidel- 
ity," as  if  it  must  not  be  said  of  God  that  he  moves. 
After  this  he  softened  down,  gave  us  all  of  our  books 
that  were  in  his  possession  and  sent  a  man  to  go  with  us 
and  open  our  rooms. 

Immediately  after  the  opening  of  our  depository 
Yoosef  again  commenced  his  book  operations,  and  in 
four  days  brought  us  about  fifty  dollars  from  the  sale  of 
one  hundred  and  ninety  copies  of  the  New  Testament, 
chiefly  among  the  Armenian  pilgrims. 


CHAPTER    VII. 

Visit  to  Bethlehem  and  Hebron — Cave  of  Machpelah — Jews — Sheikh 
Mohammed — Frank  Mountain — Cave  of  David  and  Saul — 
Governor  of  Jerusalem  removed — At  Jaffa — Beirut. 

WHILE  Mr.  Damiani  was  with  us  we  thought  it  a 
favorable  opportunity  to  visit  with  him  Hebron, 
the  ancient  city  of  Abraham.  Our  way  was  through 
Bethlehem.  As  we  came  near  the  walls  of  that  place 
there  was  plainly  a  great  fermentation  going  on  within 
them.     Men,  women   and  children  were   seen   staring 


BETHLEHEM. 


from  every  terrace,  window  and  loophole  of  their 
houses,  not  knowing  but  our  little  cavalcade  might  be 
a  band  of  officers  sent  on  some  threatening  embassy 
for   their   annoyance.      They   could    not    have    feared 

118 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  119 

from  our  number  that  we  were  approaching  with  any- 
such  order  as  that  of  Herod  against  their  young  chil- 
dren, but  tlie  miseries  of  a  military  siege  which  they 
had  lately  passed  through  were  fresh  in  their  memory, 
and  the  white  turban  coupled  with  arms  which  Mr. 
Damiaui  and  some  others  carried  were  objects  of  their 
execration  and  dread.  Those  who  were  near  at  hand 
were  soon  relieved  from  whatever  panic  they  might  have 
felt,  and  some  of  them  gayly  fell  in  with  our  train  and 
made  part  of  our  escort  to  the  convent  of  the  Nativity. 
As  we  came  near  the  convent,  however,  there  issued 
from  it  in  threatening  array  a  force  of  twelve  or  fifteen 
armed  guards.  They  hailed  us  tumultuously,  wishing 
to  know  our  character,  whether  friends  or  foes,  and 
were  answered  by  their  own  people,  "  Inglees,  Inglees.^' 
They  then,  though  rather  timidly,  unbarred  the  gates. 
The  Greeks  in  their  part  of  the  convent  (for  the  Latins 
shared  with  them  in  the  great  building)  received  us 
gladly,  and  Mr.  Fisk  enjoyed  with  them  some  enter- 
taining conversation  in  their  own  language.  In  speak- 
ing of  their  broken  state  of  society  Mr.  Fisk  asked, 

"Have  you  no  judge  residing  in  your  village  to  de- 
cide your  causes  ?'' 

"  No,"  said  they,  "  none  except  the  '  unjust  judge  J  " 
"  How,  then,  do  you  get  your  difficulties  settled  ?" 
"  By  brute  force — by  stones  and  clubs  and  daggers." 
We  saw  the  place  where  some  suppose  the  infant  Jesus 
was    born,   and   in   immediate    connection   with  it  the 
grotto  where  St.  Jerome  dwelt  many  years  and  wrote 
many  books. 

On  the  following  morning,  near  Bethlehem,  we  passed 
three  large  pools  or  reservoirs  for  water,  having  walls  of 
mason  work,  and  so  placed  that  the  water,  after  filling 


120  BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

tlie  upper  one,  miglit  descend  successively  into  the  two 
others.  They  are  called  "  Solomon's  pools."  Perhaps 
Solomon  alludes  to  these,  Eccl.  ii.  6. 

We  must  have  passed  through  or  near  the  Plain  of 
Mamre,  and,  without  having  perceived  a  single  village  or 
habitable  dwelling,  we  came  to  the  narrow,  stony,  muddy 
streets  of  Hebron.  For  three  hours  the  rain  had  been 
drenching  us,  and  we  entered  the  city  traversing  the 
bed  of  a  running  brook  which  was  at  the  same  time  the 
main  street  of  the  town.  The  German  Jews  were  the 
first  friends  who  received  us.  The  house  we  entered 
was  intolerably  filthy,  and  the  people  who  came  flock- 
ing in  around  us  corresponded  sadly  in  this  respect  with 
the  habitation.  It  was  difficult,  from  their  ignorance  of 
Arabic,  to  hold  intelligible  conversation  with  them,  but 
one  of  their  number  understood  a  little  French,  and 
with  him  Mr.  Fisk  made  shift  to  get  on  tolerably  well. 
Two  fine-looking  lads  particularly  attracted  our  atten- 
tion. They  were  of  the  age  of  ten  or  twelve  years,  and 
must,  we  thought,  be  the  sons  of  some  rich  Jewish  rabbi. 
We  found,  on  inquiry,  that  they  had  made  advances  far 
beyond  ordinary  boyhood  ;  they  were  not  even  bachelors, 
but  both  married  men. 

Among  the  number  present  were  a  few  of  the  Sefartim 
or  Spanish  Jews,  who  are  proverbially  of  neater  habits 
than  these  Germans,  who  are  called  by  the  distinctive 
name  of  Ashkenazim  Jews.  These  Spaniards  must 
have  been  conscious  that  we  were  uncomfortably  situ- 
ated, and  invited  us  to  better  quarters,  where  we  had 
good  reason  to  be  satisfied. 

The  evening  wore  away  without  eliciting  anything 
important  of  a  religious  nature.  No  man  of  informa- 
tion appeared  among  them  to  enlighten  or  entertain  us, 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS. 


121 


and  we  were  too  much  exhausted  to  provoke  much  con- 
versation. 

Late  in  the  evening  a  sudden  bustle  was  created  in  our 
little  company,  some  saying,  "  Kise !  rise !  here  comes  the 
sheikh  V^  They  generally  obeyed  the  summons,  but  for 
ourselves,  suspecting  what  was  probably  his  errand,  we 
did  not  feel  like  hailing  his  arrival  with  any  pretended 
joy  or  respect.     We  were  barely  civil  to  the  man,  and 


MODERN    HEBRON. 


as  for  the  family,  it  was  hardly  five  minutes  before  every 
one  of  them  had  disappeared,  and  the  brawny-limbed 
Sheikh  Mohammed  was  left  sitting  in  the  midst.  He 
inquired  whether  we  had  brought  any  letter  from  the 
governor  of  Jerusalem,  and  some  other  questions  which 
Mr.  Fisk  answered  after  their  tenor,  and  when  he  had 
counted  his  beads  and  whisked  them  about  his  hand 
sufficiently,  and  sipped  his  coflec  which  our  Yoosef  pre- 
pared for  him,  he  ratlier  coolly  depai'tcd. 
11 


122  BIBLE   WORK    IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

Early  in  the  morning,  though  the  rain  was  still  fall- 
ing, we  went  out  to  the  farther  limit  of  the  city  to  see 
the  Mosque  of  Abraham,  supposed  to  be  built  over  the 
cave  of  Machpelah.  The  doors  were  not  open  to 
strangers.  As  we  stepped  into  the  open  court  there 
came  forth  a  gruff  voice  from  a  little  distance,  indicating 
that  our  advance  would  be  contested,  and  we  withdrew, 
hoping  and  believing  that  the  time  would  come  when 
all  who  are  Israel  as  well  as  all  who  are  0/  Israel  shall 
here  be  permitted,  if  they  wish,  to  behold  with  their 
own  eyes  the  body,  embalmed  and  preserved,  of  their 
venerated  forefather  of  long  ages  past. 

Keturning  toward  our  lodgings,  whom  should  we 
meet  but  our  old  friend  Sheikh  Mohammed,  walking 
out  to  look  after  our  welfare.  He  passed  a  hasty  saluta- 
tion, and  then,  turning  on  his  heel,  marched  on  before 
us  upon  the  narrow  sidewalk,  as  if  to  be  our  escort 
homeward.  But  our  path  happened  not  to  lead  that 
way.  We  were  going  to  visit  another  locality  which 
took  us  away  by  a  side  alley,  and  so  our  unsuspecting 
escort  was  left  to  proceed  like  a  locomotive  broken  loose 
from  its  train.  The  Jew  who  was  our  conductor  was 
afraid  of  consequences,  but  Mr.  Fisk  pushed  him  on. 
We  were  led  to  the  supposed  tomb  of  Abner,  the  son  of 
Ner,  whom  Joab  slew,  then  to  the  cistern  of  David,  to 
the  sepulchre  of  Jesse  his  father,  to  the  monument  of 
witness  between  Ephron  and  Abraham,  to  the  wells  of 
Isaac  and  Jacob,  etc. 

Having  finished  our  survey  ^ve  gave  orders  to  Yoosef 
to  have  our  horses  immediately  got  in  readiness  for  re- 
turning to  Bethlehem.  Entering  our  lodging-place  w^e 
found  the  inevitable  Sheikh  Mohammed  duly  arrived 
and  patiently  waiting.     He  had  had  his  pipe  and  coffee 


BIBLE   WORK    IN   BIBLE   LANDS.  123 

once,  and  perhaps  again,  and  when  we  came  in  was 
amusing  himself  by  turning  over  the  leaves  of  an  Arabic 
Psalter  which  we  had  left  on  our  carpet,  though  an  in- 
telligent Jew  of  the  family  told  us  he  was  unable  to 
read  a  syllable.  Scarcely  were  we  seated  when  it  was 
told  us  by  some  one  that  his  sheikhship  was  expecting  a 
present.  The  sheikh  had  offered  to  send  his  son  to 
point  out  to  us  the  place  where  it  was  said  Abraham 
entertained  the  angels,  and  Mr.  Fisk  was  quite  willing 
to  give  him  something  under  the  name  of  compensation, 
but  nothing  that  should  wear  the  appearance  of  a  govern- 
ment exaction.  He  handed  him,  therefore,  a  Spanish 
dollar.  The  haughty  lord  tossed  it  back  in  disdain  and 
went  muttering  from  the  room.  The  Jews  were  agi- 
tated, as  if  the  sheikh  might  in  some  way  make  them 
answer  for  our  delinquency.  Mr.  Fisk  meanwhile 
picked  up  his  dollar  and  went  on  adjusting  his  baggage 
as  if  nothing  had  happened.  But  his  sheikhship  did  not 
mean  to  let  even  a  dollar  slip  through  his  hands  when  it 
could  be  secured  so  easily,  so  he  soon  reappeared  and 
took  his  seat  in  a  chair  that  happened  to  be  found  in 
the  room,  and  began  to  say  that  all  Euroj^eans,  when 
they  visited  Hebron,  paid  the  sum  of  two  hundred 
piastres.  Mr.  Fisk  immediately  replied  that  he  knew 
better,  and  then  handed  him  the  pasha's  buyordi^  or 
passport,  to  look  at,  securing  the  bearer  fi'om  all  de- 
mands or  annoyances  whatever  from  the  local  rulers, 
whether  in  Hebron  or  anywhere  else.  The  man,  if  he 
could  not  read,  could  at  least  recognize  the  seal  of  the 
pasha,  and  as  he  returned  the  paper  he  remarked  that 
he  cared  little  about  receiving  anything,  but  to  be 
offered  a  single  dollar  he  took  to  be  an  indignity.  We 
were   at  liberty,  he  said,  to  go  when  and  where  we 


124  BIBLE    WORK    IX   BIBLE   LANDS. 

pleased,  and  if  we  had  need  of  horses  or  guards  he 
would  readily  furnish  them.  Mr.  Fisk  handed  him  a 
gold  piece  worth  a  trifle  more  than  a  dollar,  and  he 
condescended  to  accept  of  it. 

Our  animals  were  not  yet  at  the  door,  and  just  at  this 
juncture  a  messenger  came  from  another  sheikh,  calling 
himself  Abd-er-Rahhman,  who  wished  to  do  himself  the 
honor  of  calling  upon  us  (/.  e.,  of  receiving  his  share  of 
tlie  "  200").  Our  answer  was  returned  to  him  that  we 
could  not  wait,  and  immediately  we  took  up  our  pack- 
ages and  left  the  house.  As  we  threaded  our  way  to- 
ward the  stables  the  Jew  who  guided  us  turned  and  said, 
"  There  comes  a  soldier  from  the  sheikh.  We  must  go 
back."  Mr.  Fisk  2:>ut  his  hand  firmly  on  his  shoulder 
and  pushed  him  along  before  him.  We  were  soon 
mounted,  and  Mr.  Fisk  started  to  pass  from  the  yard 
into  the  open  street;  but  suddenly  a  man  caught  his 
animal  by  the  bits.  Yoosef  saw  it  and  was  there  in 
a  moment,  and  there  was  something  of  a  struggle  be- 
tween them.  Other  men  were  moving  about  the  yard, 
and  we  feared  a  wrangle  and  perhaps  a  mob;  but 
Yoosef  seemed  to  understand  the  matter  and  soon  set 
all  right,  and  catching  up  his  white  turban,  which  had 
been  knocked  off,  and  twisting  it  rapidly  about  his 
head,  he  straddled  his  animal  and  set  us  all  off  with  an 
impulse. 

Sheikh  Abd-er-Rahhman  was  left  in  high  dudgeon. 
Abd  Allah,  a  man  whom  we  had  taken  from  Bethlehem, 
was  afraid  to  proceed  with  us,  and  we  left  him,  expect- 
ing to  see  no  more  of  hinl  till  we  arrived  again  at  the 
city  of  David.  Sheikh  Mohammed's  man,  however, 
held  on  his  way  boldly.  When  we  came  near  the  place 
of  Abraham  and  the  angels,  which  this  man  was  to 


BIBLE   WORK    IN   BIBLE   LANDS.  125 

show  ns,  Mr.  Damiani  and  Yoosef  chose  to  wait  for  us 
at  the  road  while  the  rest  of  us  went  aside  to  examine 
the  locality.  The  place  shown  was  marked  by  a  founda- 
tion wall  of  some  large  building,  probably  a  churcli  of 
Constantine  or  the  Crusaders.  The  stones  were  large, 
and  we  observed  this  peculiarity  in  them,  that  great 
masses  of  sea  shells  entered  into  their  composition. 
Before  we  had  fully  satisfied  our  curiosity  at  this  place 
we  heard  the  voices  of  our  companions  calling  long  and 
loud  after  us.  Abd  Allah  the  Bethlehemite  had  arrived 
from  Hebron,  and  brought  intelligence  that  the  sheikh 
who  failed  to  see  us,  having  come  to  our  lodging  and 
found  that  we  had  escaped  him,  vented  his  rage  furiously 
upon  poor  Maallem  Hai-eem,  our  friendly  host,  for  not 
having  sooner  informed  him  of  our  arrival,  and  declared 
he  would  send  after  us  a  band  of  horsemen  and  take  by 
force  that  which  we  were  bound  to  have  given  him  in 
courtesy.  Abd  Allah  had  fled  frorji  the  inhospitable 
city  and  come  on  as  fast  as  his  donkey  could  be  urged 
to  come  that  he  might  apprise  us  of  what  had  occurred. 
Our  consular  friend  looked  very  fierce,  drew  forth  his 
long  blade,  examined  its  edge,  brandished  it  high  in  air, 
as  if  to  prove  the  strength  of  his  arm,  or  to  show  the 
company  how  much  he  could  do  for  them,  ^'  come  to 
case  in  hand."  But  the  case  did  not  come,  and  in  the 
good  providence  of  God  we  reached  Bethlehem  in  safety 
without  the  taking  or  the  losing  of  any  blood. 

Next  day  we  visited  Frank  Mountain  and  the  re- 
puted cave  of  David,  where  he  cut  off  the  skirt  of  Saul's 
robe.  1  Sam.  xxiv.  4.  Both  these  places  are  situated  in 
a  south-east  direction  from  Bethlehem  at  the  distance  of 
three  or  four  miles.  The  former  is  a  steep,  isolated  hill, 
in  form  like  a  sugar  loaf,  and  is  a  very  attractive  object 
11  * 


126  BIBLE   WORK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

in  the  landscape  as  viewed  from  Olivet,  and  especially 
from  the  convent  of  Mar  Elee-as,  between  Jerusalem  and 
Betldehem.  Its  top,  which  was  at  the  height  of  a  few 
hundred  feet,  was  composed  of  gravelly  earth,  and  was 
evidently  brought  up  to  its  present  elevation  artificially. 
It  presented  a  concave  area  of  two  hundred  and  seventy 
paces  in  circumference,  and  from  the  firm  wall  founda- 
tions that  remain  we  may  infer  that  it  was  once  strongly 
fortified.* 

The  cave  that  was  shown  us  was  considerably  spa- 
cious, being  thirty-three  paces  by  fifteen,  and  having 
several  passages  leading  to  other  apartments  which 
were  said  to  be  numerous  and  extensive,  but  we  did  not 
explore  them. 

During  this  excursion  to  Hebron  we  sold  sixteen 
copies  of  the  Scripture  and  distributed  eighteen.  We 
also  disposed  of  sixty  religious  tracts. 

Some  ten  days  passed,  and  we  received  a  request  from 
the  governor  to  make  him  a  call.  He  had  received  a 
communication  from  the  pasha  of  Damascus,  who,  he 
said,  wished  to  see  a  copy  of  our  firmans  and  a  specimen 
of  our  books.  On  returning  to  our  rooms  we  sent 
Yoosef  with  Mr.  Fisk's  firman  to  be  copied,  and  also 
four  different  books.  Scripture  portions,  for  the  pasha's 
examination.     The  governor  took  the  books,  as  Yoosef 

*DKtor  Edward  Robinson  believes,  from  Josephus,  that  this  was 
the  Acropolis  of  a  large  town  called  Herodmm,  which  was  built  by 
Herod  the  Great,  and  whither  Herod's  dead  body  was  brought  from 
Jericho  for  burial.  (Josephus  says :  "  The  body  was  carried  two 
hundred  furlongs  to  Herodium,  where  he  had  given  order  to  be 
buried.)  Doctor  Edward  Clarke,  from  observing  this  mountain  at  a 
distance  and  seeing  its  top  to  be  hollow  like  a  crater,  pronounced  the 
mountain  to  be  a  volcano,  and  thought  it  to  be  situated  on  the  borders 
of  the  Dead  Sea,  thus  suggesting  that  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  were 
overwhelmed  by  fire  from  this  mountain. 


BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  127 

informed  us,  and  opening  one  of  them  and  reading  a 
moment,  he  spit  upon  the  book,  exclaiming  in  their 
common  phrase,  "  Istogfr  Allah." 

It  was  scarcely  two  hours  after  this  when  our  ears 
Nvere  saluted  by  the  rapid  discharges  of  musketry  in 
different  parts  of  the  city,  and  the  roaring  of  cannon 
from  the  walls  and  the  castles.  What  was  the  announce- 
ment by  this  sudden  public  demonstration  ?  It  was  no 
other  than  that  His  Excellency,  successor  of  Pontius 
Pilate  as  governor  of  Jerusalem,  and  who  spits  con- 
tempt upon  God's  holy  word,  is  driven,  like  Nebuchad- 
nezzar, from  his  office  and  his  palace,  and  another  man 
is  sent  to  occupy  his  place.  The  same  day  was  also 
signalized  by  the  sale  of  about  twenty  dollars'  worth  of 
books. 

When  Padre  Bastiani,  the  new  reverendissimo  whom 
we  had  been  expecting,  arrived  at  Jaffa,  some  one  or 
more  of  the  priests  in  his  train  happened  to  fall  in  with 
Mr.  King  in  that  city,  and  began  to  dispute  and  rail 
very  passionately  against  the  Protestants,  denouncing 
them  and  their  measures  with  a  great  deal  of  bitterness. 
Mr.  King,  believing  the  reverendissimo  and  all  his  com- 
pany to  be  of  the  same  spirit,  wrote  immediately  to 
forewarn  us  of  coming  evil,  beginning  his  letter  with 
the  quotation,  "  The  devil  is  come  down  to  us,  having 
great  wrath  because  he  knoweth  that  he  hath  but  a 
short  time."  Some  one  had  intimated  to  him  that  the 
superior  in  particular  was  meditating  violence  against 
him.  But  we  at  Jerusalem  had  become  somewhat 
assured,  in  regard  to  the  approach  of  this  company,  by  a 
consular  letter,  just  come  from  Beirut,  in  which  Mr, 
.  A  bbott  says  : 

"  I  am  obliged  to  you  for  the  details  of  the  occurrences 


128  BIBLE   WOKK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

which  have  taken  place  with  the  governor  and  kadi 
(judge),  who  seem  to  have  got  so  deep  into  the  mud 
prepared  for  them  by  the  Terra  Santa  priests  that  they 
do  not  know  how  to  get  out  without  one  or  the  other's 
being  suffocated  in  it. 

"  But  the  Lord  will  not  suffer  his  cause  to  be  over- 
thrown by  such  vile  means.  I  calculate  that  about  this 
time  you  will  have  received  the  buyordi  (order)  of  the 
pasha  of  Damascus,  which  I  transmitted  to  Mr.  Fisk  by 
express  to  Jaffa,  and  that  it  will  have  had  the  desired 
effect  of  settling  all  matters  with  the  governor,  cadi  and 
other  authorities  quite  to  your  satisfaction. 

"  With  respect  to  the  instigators  of  all  this  mischief 
and  scandal  to  Christianity  (the  monks),  we  will,  with 
divine  assistance,  devise  some  other  means  of  bringing 
them  to  their  right  senses.'^ 

But,  beside  this  encouraging  communication,  we  had 
had  by  us  for  some  weeks  a  sort  of  peace  offering  in  the 
shape  of  two  large  sealed  packages  of  documents  which 
had  the  appearance  of  being  of  considerable  value  to  the 
reverendissimo.  These,  of  course,  we  were  bound  to 
transfer  to  his  hands  on  his  first  arrival.  They  might 
be  a  commission  or  instructions  from  the  pope  himself, 
and  we  were  curious  to  know  what  effect  it  might  have 
upon  his  spirit  to  see  that  these  documents  had  been 
faithfully  kept  and  safely  delivered  to  him  by  supposed 
enemies. 

Accordingly,  on  the  first  announcement  of  his  rever- 
ence being  in  the  city,  we  handed  the  papers  to  Yoosef, 
charging  him  to  deliver  them  with  our  respectful  saluta- 
tions. When  he  returned  he  said  the  reverendissimo 
had  received  him  very  politely,  had  made  inquiries  in 
particular  about  the  signori  who  sent  him,  and,  learning 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  129 

that  one  of  them  had  lately  been  suffering  from  illness, 
he  expressed  his  condolence. 

Wiiile  in  doubt  in  what  estimation  we  should  hold 
our  new  neighbor  the  reverend is.si mo,  it  was  with  a  hap})y 
surprise  that,  almost  immediately  after  the  occurrence 
above  mentioned,  we  received  another  letter  from 
Consul  Abbott,  in  which  he  says : 

"  It  may  be  satisfactory  and  perhaps  not  useless  that 
you  and  Mr.  Fisk  should  be  j^ersonally  acquainted  with 
the  reverend issimo.  He  is  just  returned  from  examining 
the  state  of  all  the  dependencies  of  the  Terra  Santa  in 
Egypt,  Tripoli,  etc.  We  have  had  a  good  deal  of  com- 
munication together  on  various  subjects,  and  you  may 
well  think  I  did  not  omit  to  acquaint  him  with  the 
occurrences  that  have  befallen  you  through  the  machina- 
tions of  the  members  of  his  community  at  Jerusalem. 
So  far  from  attempting  to  discredit  the  fact,  he  related  to 
me  many  recent  acts  of  iniquity  committed  by  them, 
deeply  lamenting  the  unprincipled  system  that  had 
taken  such  deep  root  in  the  administration  of  the 
temporal  as  well  as  spiritual  interests  of  that  establish- 
ment. He  has  agreed  to  communicate  with  me  from 
Jerusalem,  on  this  and  other  subjects,  confidentially, 
which  intercourse  may  be  of  use  to  us." 

Mr.  Abbott's  opinion  of  Father  Bastiani,  that  his  prin- 
ciples did  not  harmonize  with  those  of  the  monks,  was 
afterward  confirmed  by  the  circumstance  that  the  man 
did  not  survive  one  year  after  coming  within  the  walls 
of  their  convent  and  forming  a  part  of  their  household.* 

*That  the  death  of  Father  Bastiani  was  brought  about  by  the 
Spanish  monks  was  the  opinion  unhesitatingly  avowed  by  his  im- 
mediate successor,  who  occupied  his  place  for  a  time  under  the  title 
of  president. 


130  BIBLE   WORK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

Had  the  reverendissimo  reached  Jerusalem  a  little 
sooner  we  might  have  been  saved  from  a  good  deal  of  the 
annoyance  that  came  to  us  from  the  direction  of  his  con- 
vent, and  in  many  ways  we  might  have  profited  by  his 
acquaintance,  but  our  stay  at  Jerusalem  was  drawing  to  a 
close.  The  disgraceful  farce  of  the  Greek  fire,  which  came 
off  this  year  on  Saturday,  April  17,  was  nigh  at  hand, 
when  the  pilgrims  immediately  prepare  for  their  homes; 
and  Jerusalem,  without  pilgrims,  offered  at  that  time 
few  advantages  for  evangelical  labor. 

As  soon,  therefore,  as  that  day  of  desecration  was 
past,  we  set  our  faces  toward  our  place  of  rendezvous 
at  Beirut. 

In  parting  from  the  convent,  Mr.  Fisk  called  the 
head  priest,  Papas  Joel,  to  his  room  to  pay  him  his 
rent.  After  giving  him  the  money,  he,  in  a  frank, 
downright  manner,  but  in  perfect  good  nature,  adminis- 
tered to  him  the  following  reproof.  Looking  him  full 
in  the  face,  he  said,  *^  Now,  Papas  Joel,  you  must  not 
go  to  the  bishops  and  tell  them  another  such  lie  as  you 
told  them  last  year.  Don't  say  that  the  howadji  paid 
you  but  one  hundred  piastres  when  I  have  paid  you 
two  hundred.^^  The  papas  laughed  sheepishly,  like  an 
unlucky  boy  when  found  out  and  reproved  for  his  mis- 
chief, and,  putting  up  his  money,  turned  and  went  his 
way.  The  lie  which  he  told,  he  probably  thought  to 
be  only  a  clever  device,  lawful,  as  "  it  was  not  mali- 
cious and  did  not  deny  the  Christian  faith." 

At  Jaffa  we  found  our  brother  King,  who  had  here 
spent  the  winter  very  agreeably  in  his  favorite  study. 
His  teacher  being  a  Muslim,  he  read  with  him  the  Koran 
and  engaged  him  in  many  religious  discussions.  At  the 
commencement  of  their  reading   together   the  learned 


BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS.  131 

sheikh  showed  himself  very  confident  and  fixed  in  his 
own  religious  sentiments,  arguing  strongly  and  boldly, 
as  if  he  intended  and  hoped  to  make  a  convert  of  his 
pupil.  But  as  he  went  on  it  was  observable  that  his 
opinions  and  feelings  became  considerably  modified. 
He  said  one  day,  "  I  am  willing  you  should  love  our 
Lord  Jesus.  You  ought  to  love  him.  I  love  him  my- 
self. I  love  him  more  than  all  things  in  this  world — 
more  than  my  own  life.  But  I  wish  you  to  call  him 
the  Servant  of  God  (Abd  Allah),  and  not  say,  ^  God  was 
in  him  and  he  in  God,  and  that  they  are  one.' " 

The  next  day,  continuing  the  same  subject,  he  said, 
"I  love  you  very  much,  and  how  sorry  I  am  that  so 
good  a  man  should  be  an  infidel  and  doomed  to  ever- 
lasting fire  because  he  would  believe  that  our  Lord  Jesus 
is  God  V^  He  cautioned  Mr.  King,  in  the  discussion,  to 
be  careful  about  his  words,  "  lest,"  said  he,  "  I  should 
be  obliged  to  bear  witness  of  them  against  you  at  the  day 
of  judgment."  Of  late,  however,  his  creed  was  so  far 
changed  that  he  believed  that  Christians  whose  works 

to 

were  good  might  be  saved,  but  that  the  Muslims  of  this 
land  were  so  debased  that  God  must  destroy  them. 

We  spent  a  Sabbath  at  Jaffa  and  had  public  services 
at  the  consuFs.  Mr.  Fisk  discoursed  in  Italian  to  a 
company  of  fifteen  from  the  words,  "  Who  was  delivered 
for  our  offences  and  raised  again  for  our  justification." 

During  the  ensuing  ten  days,  under  the  care  of  our 
heavenly  Father  (a  part  of  us  by  sea  and  a  part  of  us 
by  land),  we  made  our  way  to  Beirut,  where  we  ex- 
changed hearty  congratulations  and  mingled  our  thanks 
and  praises  to  Him  by  whose  good  providence  we  had 
been  kept  during  these  months  of  our  sej^aration. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

Mr.  Goodell  alone  at  Beirut — First  patriarchal  denunciation— Letters 
from  Rome — Mr.  B.  Barker,  Bil)le  agent,  and  Lady  Stanhope- 
Mr.  King  revisits  Deir  el  Koramer— Conversations  with  priests — 
Journey  to  Damascus,  Hums,  Hamah  and  Aleppo  —  Firman 
against  the  Scriptures— Three  months  in  Aleppo — Eventful  jour- 
ney through  Antioch  and  Tripoli  to  Beirut. 

MR.  GOODELL,  during  our  winter's  absence,  had 
been  occupying  the  stand  at  Beirut,  wrestling 
alone  against  principalities,  against  powers  and  against 
spiritual  wickedness  in  high  places,  but  still  efficiently 
protected  from  personal  violence  by  the  official  influence 
of  our  warm  friend  Consul  Abbott.  He  had  main- 
tained a  regular  preaching  service  at  the  consul's  on  the 
Sabbath,  had  held  small  meetings  for  reading  the  Scrip- 
tures and  for  discussion  with  the  natives,  and  had  done 
what  was  feasible  in  the  way  of  schools. 

He  had  no  sooner  been  left  thus  alone  in  his  station 
than  he  was  obliged  to  bear  the  brunt  of  the  first  papal 
fulminations  against  the  Bible  enterprise.  The  patriarch 
of  the  Maronites  had  seen  some  men  and  had  heard 
of  others  who  had  come  into  the  land  to  introduce  into 
it  the  sunlight  of  God's  word.  Herod  the  king  and  all 
Jerusalem  with  him  were  not  more  troubled  at  the  visit 
of  the  wise  men  than  w^as  this  vigilant  prelate  of  Leb- 
anon at  the  sudden  appearing  of  these  Bil)le  men. 
Without  waiting  for  instructions  from  Rome  and  with- 
out consultation  with  his  bishops,  he  lifted  up  his  warn- 
ing voice  to  his  people  after  this  fashion : 

1.32 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  133 

"  May  the  apostolic  benediction  and  heavenly  grace  de- 
scend abundantly  and  abide  continually  upon  the  souls 
and  bodies  of  our  people  and  of  our  flock,  the  children  of 
our  community,  the  Maronites  who  inhabit  the  towns  and 
villages  in  every  direction  and  of  every  rank  and  con- 
dition ;  the  Lord  God  bless  them.  Amen.  .  .  .  AYe  in- 
form your  love  that  the  artful  deceiver  and  enemy  of  good- 
ness and  enemy  of  the  human  race  never  ceases  to  infuse 
his  deadly  poison  into  the  members  of  the  mystical  body, 
i.  e.,  into  the  faithful  sons  of  the  holy  Church,  and  dili- 
gently and  laboriously  and  with  all  his  might  to  sow  the 
tares  of  corrupt  doctrine  in  the  field  of  the  Lord  of  hosts. 
This  he  does  sometimes  by  himself  and  sometimes  by 
means  of  his  followers  the  heretics,  the  impious  enemies 
of  the  Roman  Church,  the  mother  and  mistress  of  all 
churches  and  their  guide,  that  he  may  thus,  by  deceits 
of  various  kinds,  turn  Christians  astray  and  lead  the 
simple  into  error.  And  now  (may  God  confound  him !) 
he  has  instigated  in  these  days  some  persons  of  the  Eng- 
lish nation,  called  Bible  men — i.e.,  followers  of  the  Bible 
— who  have  arrived  lately  in  the  country,  and  they  have 
come  to  the  village  of  Antoora  under  the  character  of 
disseminators  of  their  corrupt  faith,  clad  in  sheep's 
clothing,  but  inwardly  they  are  ravening  wolves.  And 
they  have  begun  to  travel  among  our  community,  the 
Maronites,  pretending  that  they  wish  to  amuse  them- 
selves and  see  the  country,  but  their  heart  is  full  of  evil 
and  treachery.  They  bring  with  them  books  of  the  Old 
Testament  and  the  New,  printed  in  various  languages — 
Syriac,  Arabic  and  others.  These  also  are  of  different 
sorts,  some  of  them  replete  with  errors  and  some  of  them 
correct  in  regard  to  the  parts  that  are  printed,  but  they 
have  omitted  seven  holy  and  divine  books  [the  Apoc- 

12 


134  BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

rypha],  although  these  books  omitted  by  them  are  received 
by  the  Roman  Church,  and  those  who  do  not  receive 
them  as  holy  and  divine  are  anathematized  by  the  holy 
general  Council  of  Trent  in  its  fourth  session,  and  their 
object  is  to  distribute  these  books  of  theirs  among  the 
children  of  our  community  of  Maronites,  whose  faith  is 
sound,  established  on  the  rock  of  Peter,  and  who  have 
never  bowed  the  knee  to  the  image  of  Baal.  .  .  . 
A  thing  stranger  than  all  this  is  that  they  are  engaged 
in  purchasing  the  holy  Scriptures  of  the  Old  and  New 
Testaments  printed  in  Rome  the  Magnificent  (a  thing 
past  endurance),  and  instead  thereof  distributing  their 
own  books,  above  mentioned,  gratis,  in  order  that  in  the 
course  of  time  the  true  books  of  Scripture  may  no  longer 
be  found,  and  that  their  books,  full  of  errors,  may  re- 
main in  their  stead. 

^'  And,  not  content  with  all  this,  they  are  continually 
endeavoring  to  obtain,  if  possible,  some  of  the  children 
of  our  people,  and  send  them  to  their  country  that  they 
may  there  drink  in  the  poison  of  their  pernicious  doc- 
trines and  return  to  disseminate  it  in  this  country 
among  our  people  the  Maronites.  Other  things  we  do 
not  mention  for  fear  of  being  tedious. 

"  Now,  when  we  heard  of  the  arts  and  the  blasphemous 
innovations  of  these  deceivers,  by  which  they  degrade 
the  Christian  faith  and  bring  ruin  to  the  Catholic  re- 
ligion and  perdition  to  the  souls  of  men,  we  have  been 
excited,  by  our  paternal  zeal,  to  meet  this  malady  with 
an  eifectual  remedy.  .  .  .  We  therefore  order  and  com- 
mand, in  accordance  with  the  holy  Council  of  Mount 
Lebanon,  all  the  children  of  our  community  of  Maronites 
.  .  .  that  from  this  time  forward  no  one  possess  the 
books  of  these  above-mentioned  persons,  and  we  order 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS.  135 

that  all  these  books  be  either  burnt  in  the  fire  by  those 
who  possess  them  or  that  they  bring  them  to  us  at  the 
convent  of  Canobeen. 

"  Moreover,  we  do  not  allow  any  one,  whoever  he 
may  be,  of  the  children  of  our  community,  in  any  case, 
to  associate  with  the  individuals  above  mentioned  in 
spiritual  things  or  in  whatever  concerns  the  Christian 
religion.  .  .  .  Nor  do  we  allow  any  one  to  study  in 
their  schools  or  peruse  their  compositions.  And  who- 
ever shall  audaciously  act  contrary  to  this  our  order 
ten  days  after  its  publication,  or  shall  hesitate  to  comply 
with  or  shall  prevent  the  execution  of  it,  .  .  .  if  he  be 
an  ecclesiastic  he  is  prohibited,  ipso  facto,  from  the  exer- 
cise of  his  office,  and  if  he  be  a  layman  he  falls  under 
the  penalty  of  excommunication,  the  absolution  from 
which  is  reserved  to  ourself 

The  above  document,  as  compared  with  the  original, 
has  been  considerably  abridged.  His  Holiness  professes 
to  have  made  an  effort  not  to  be  tedious,  but  in  this  he 
failed  altogether.  In  the  original  he  enlarges  much  on 
various  points,  such  as  the  holiness  of  the  Church,  espe- 
cially the  Maronite  Church,  his  fatherly  affection  for 
his  people,  his  care  for  their  interests,  the  sly  cun- 
ning of  the  adversary,  the  greatness  of  the  impending 
danger,  the  warnings  he  is  obliged  to  utter  and  the  ter- 
rible penalties  he  will  be  obliged  to  impose  on  the  dis- 
obedient. Perhaps  among  his  own  people  his  epithets 
and  repetitions  added  force  to  his  proclamation.  That 
it  had  an  effect  for  a  time  was  sufficiently  evident.  The 
solitary  missionary  at  Beirut  suddenly  became  an  object 
of  odium  and  suspicion.  All  the  children  of  the  Maronite 
community  were  especially  shy  of  him.  He  became  an 
object  of  public  gaze  to  all.     The  aged  and  venerable 


136  BIBLE   WORK   IN    BIBLE   LANDS. 

priest  Simeon  ceased  his  friendly  evening  visits,  and 
many,  as  they  met  the  Bible  man  in  the  streets,  refused 
to  return  his  social  salaam. 

The  good  priest  above  mentioned,  seeing  the  storm- 
cloud  rising,  had,  the  evening  before  the  anathema  was 
read  in  church,  though  with  evident  reluctance,  returned 
his  Bible,  not  consenting  either  to  burn  it  in  the  fire  or 
to  make  a  three  days'  journey  with  it  to  Canobeen. 
Few  followed  the  priest's  example  by  returning  their 
books,  but  there  was  no  good  reason  to  believe  that  any 
copies  of  the  Scriptures  were  either  destroyed  or  given 
up  to  the  priests. 

The  Bible  man  meantime  went  on  quietly  in  his  voca- 
tion, working  at  the  language,  preaching  in  English  at 
the  consul's,  distributing  the  Scriptures  with  increased 
encouragement  among  the  Greeks  and  reading  and  con- 
versing about  the  great  salvation  with  all  who  were 
accessible. 

In  the  midst  of  these  occupations  he  writes :  "  I  am 
happy  to  say  that  a  desire  to  become  acquainted  with 
the  sacred  word  has  apparently  increased  in  consequence 
of  there  being  no  small  stir  about  this  way.  Almost 
every  day  a  greater  or  less  number  of  Arabs  call  upon 
us  to  read  the  holy  Scriptures.  Some  of  them  read 
several  hours  in  the  course  of  the  day ;  some  of  them 
spend  the  whole  evening  thus,  and  some  not  unfre- 
quently  ask  permission  to  carry  the  sacred  treasure 
home  with  them  for  the  night,  promising  to  return  it 
the  next  morning.  The  desire  for  instruction  appears 
also  to  increase.  Several  adult  females  come  occasionally 
to  be  taught  by  Mrs.  Bird  or  Mrs.  Goodell,  although 
their  attendance  is  very  irregular  and  their  disadvan- 
tages very  great,  they  being  without  Arabic  books  and 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  137 

tlieir  friends  deriding  tlieir  efforts,  yet  it  is  evident  they 
are  making  improvement.  While  we  pray  that  a  bless- 
ing may  attend  these  very  feeble  efforts,  which  we  are 
grateful  that  we  are  able  to  make,  we  have  much  con- 
fidence that,  as  we  acquire  a  knowledge  of  the  language, 
the  great  Head  of  the  Church  will  open  to  us  among 
this  people  a  wide  door  of  usefulness.'^ 

But  the  danger  arising  from  the  light  of  God's  word 
among  the  papal  flock  was  not  felt  alone  in  Lebanon. 
Rome  herself  was  startled.  An  ancient  and  still  vener- 
ated college  establishment  of  the  Jesuits  had  fallen  into 
the  hands  of  the  Bible  men  and  had  become  a  radiating 
point  for  all  the  untold  evils  which  the  word  of  God 
in  the  vulgar  tongue  is  known  by  experience  to  produce.* 
Something  must  be  done.  The  fearful  ruin  which  the 
Bible  threatened  to  bring  upon  the  Christian  religion  f 
must  by  all  means  be  prevented.  To  this  end  three 
several  documents,  all  of  the  same  date  and  nearly  of 
the  same  tenor,  were  issued  from  the  "eternal  city"  to  the 
following  three  several  ecclesiastics :  the  new  Maronite 
patriarch.  Bishop  Hanna  Maroni  and  Monsignor  Bishop 
Gandolfi,  pope's  legate  for  Syria;  all  were  officially 
signed,  "Cardinal  Somaglia,  Dean  of  the  Sacred  Col- 
lege, Proprefect,"  etc.  Of  these  three  epistles  the  second 
one  only  will  here  be  given  : 

"  Most  Illustrious  and  Rev.  Sir  :  We  have  re- 
ceived the  unwelcome  intelligence  that  a  certain  man  by 
the  name  of  Wolff,  of  Bamberga,  together  with  other 
Bible  men,  has  rented  of  you,  for  five  years,  an  old  col- 
lege situated  on  Mount  Lebanon,  in  Antoora.  This 
sacred  society  holds  it  for  certain  that  your  Excellency 

*  Doctrine  of  the  Council  of  Trent,      f  Patriarch's  proclamation. 
12* 


138  BIBLE   WORK   IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

has  not  thought  how  great  spiritual  mischief  this  new 
enterprise  of  the  Bible  men  would  produce  among  the 
Catholics  of  that  region.  Under  the  cloak  of  pretended 
zeal  they  are  the  heralds  (banditti)  of  error  and  corrup- 
tion. They  distribute  Bibles  gratuitously,  in  the  vulgar 
tongue,  but  Bibles  corrupted  and  depraved.  It  ought 
not  therefore  to  be  permitted  that  such  men  should  have 
in  Mount  Lebanon  an  asylum  from  which  they  can 
with  impunity  scatter  abroad  their  poison,  to  the  injury 
of  a  nation,  too,  that  has  ever  shown  itself  constant  in 
maintaining  unsullied  the  deposit  of  the  faith,"  etc.,  etc. 

Consequent  upon  the  receipt  of  these  letters  the  patri- 
arch had  immediate  recourse,  for  the  recovery  of  the 
college,  to  the  Emeer  Besheer,  who  consented,  as  many 
other  rulers  before  him  have  found  it  convenient  to  do, 
"  to  give  his  power  and  strength  unto  the  beast."  He 
sent  his  soldiers  to  quarter  in  the  house  of  Bishop  Ma- 
roni,  and  vexed  him  until,  for  his  relief,  Mr.  Lewis, 
whom  no  law  could  have  forced  to  do  it,  consented  to 
give  up  the  papers  of  the  contract  and  quit  the  premises. 

Soon  after  our  arrival  at  Beirut,  Mr.  Abbott  received 
information,  through  one  of  the  Capuchin  friars,  that 
about  the  time  we  left  Jerusalem  a  general  meeting  of 
the  Terra  Santa  establishments  was  held  in  that  city,  at 
which  it  was  resolved  that  no  Bible  man  should  from 
that  time  be  received  as  a  guest  into  any  of  their  con- 
vents or  be  granted  any  favor  of  hospitality  whatever. 
A  friar  had  arrived  at  Beirut  with  a  huge  packet  of 
circulars  to  distribute,  cautioning  all  people  against  the 
Bible  men.  The  same  man  was  just  embarking  for 
Rome,  where  he  was  going  to  make  a  full  exposition 
of  all  our  proceedings. 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  139 

In  the  midst  of  this  imposing  manifestation  of  hos- 
tility to  the  Bible  there  came  to  Beirut  a  salaried  agent 
of  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society,  Benjamin 
Barker,  Esq.,  of  Smyrna,  a  brother  of  John  Barker, 
Esq.,  British  consul  at  Aleppo.  He  was  not  intim- 
idated by  the  prevailing  opposition  to  his  work,  but 
made  a  full  offer  of  his  "pearls  of  great  price"  to  the 
people,  and  not  without  success.  In  spite  of  patriarchal 
fulminations,  copies  of  the  Scriptures  were  sold  in  con- 
siderable numbers  at  Beirut.  One  man  living  near  us 
said  to  Mr.  Barker,  "  They  have  forbidden  our  reading 
these  books,  but  there  are  twenty  of  my  neighbors  as 
well  as  myself  who  are  determined  to  read  them,  for  our 
priests  have  been  deceiving  us.  They  have  taught  us  to 
be  idolaters,  contrary  to  the  word  of  God." 

Mr.  Barker,  as  he  was  passing  on  southward  toward 
Jerusalem,  had  intended  to  make  a  call  of  civility  on 
Lady  Stanhope,  between  whom  and  the  Barkers  there 
had  long  been  an  intimacy,  but  he  was  doubtful  how  he 
would  be  received.  Her  ladyship  had  courteously  treat- 
ed the  Rev.  Messrs.  Way  and  King,  to  the  latter  of 
whom  she  had  even  furnished  letters  of  introduction  to 
her  native  friends — letters  which  Mr.  King  at  the  time 
esteemed  to  be  of  more  influence  than  those  of  a  pasha. 
But  on  the  other  hand  she  had  manifested  tow^ard  Mr. 
Wolff  an  uncommon  rudeness.  Mr.  Barker,  therefore, 
without  writing  her  a  formal  note,  had  taken  care  that 
his  intended  visit  should  be  intimated  to  her  before- 
hand, so  that  at  least  his  appearance  should  not  take 
her  by  surprise.  However,  during  his  business  deten- 
tion at  Beirut,  the  matter  of  his  visit  to  her  ladyship 
was  definitely  settled  by  a  letter  written  by  her  own 
hand  in  the  following  courteous  terms : 


140  BIBLE   WORK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

"  Dear  Sir  :  I  have  not  forgotten  you,  as  you  seem 
to  suspect  by  what  you  said  to  my  servant  whom  you 
saw  at  Tripoli.  He,  as  well  as  your  brother,  Mr.  John 
Barker,  has  acquainted  me  that  it  is  your  intention  to 
pay  me  a  visit.  I  should  be  delighted  to  see  you  (as  I 
should  any  branch  of  Mr.  Barker's  family,  for  the 
friendship  I  bear  toward  him  has  not  diminished  by  a 
long  absence),  but  your  professional  duties  will  deprive 
me  of  that  pleasure. 

"  I  have  made  a  determination  to  have  no  communi- 
cation with  persons  who  interfere  with  religion.  I 
should  never  have  seen  Mr.  Way  had  I  known  what 
was  the  object  of  his  visit  here,  and  Mr.  Barker  may 
recollect,  as  far  back  as  eleven  years  ago,  there  was  a 

report  of  two  Mr. I  do  not  know  who  (considerable 

men,  however,  and  warmly  protected  by  my  cousin. 
Lord  Grenville)  coming  to  Antioch  to  sell  Bibles  or  re- 
build churches ;  in  short,  I  have  forgot  what,  but  Mr. 
Barker  may  perhaps  recollect  that,  even  at  that  time,  I 
declared  that  if  they  came  near  me  I  should  shut  the 
door  in  their  faces.  Therefore  I  hope  you  will  not  take 
unkindly  a  refusal  dependent  on  a  general  line  which  I 
have  pursued  for  many  years. 

'''■  You  may  make  this  letter  as  public  as  you  please, 
in  order  that  it  may  not  be  imagined  that  I  can  slight 
any  part  of  Mr.  Barker's  family.  I  hope,  however,  we 
shall  meet  when  the  rage  of  Bibles  and  misguided  zeal 
is  at  an  end ;  till  then  believe  me,"  etc. 

Till  when  ?  Till  zeal  for  i\iQ  Bible  shall  cease  ?  The 
Christian  religion  has  stood  upon  the  Bible  eighteen 
hundred  years.  Will  it  now  come  to  an  end  in  good  sea- 
son for  you  to  enjoy  a  pleasant  visit  from  your  friend  ? 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  141 

Since  tliis  communication  passed  between  the  two 
friends  both  have  gone  beyond  these  mortal  shores; 
but  had  they  lived  they  would  have  seen  that  from  that 
time  to  the  present  their  chance  of  meeting  according  to 
appointment  has  been  rapidly  growing  more  and  more 
distant. 

Mr.  King's  residence  of  some  months  at  the  capital 
of  Lebanon  had  produced  a  deep  impression  on  the 
people.  It  had  imparted  to  them  the  first  reliable  in- 
formation they  had  recevied  of  Protestantism.  He  had 
succeeded  in  gaining  the  confidence  of  many  friends, 
and  ensuring  for  evangelical  truth  a  respectful  hearing. 
It  was  worth  while  for  him  now,  after  a  six  months 
absence,  to  revisit  the  people  and  see  whether  any  fruit 
of  his  labors  for  them  remained.  On  his  way  up  the 
mountain  he  met  with  individuals  to  the  number  of 
forty  or  more  with  whom  he  spoke,  letting  fall  a  few 
words  to  direct  their  thoughts  to  the  concerns  of  an- 
other life.  His  friends  of  the  house  of  Domani,  whither 
he  again  directed  his  steps,  gave  him  a  cordial  greeting, 
and  many  called  to  salute  him  on  both  the  first  and 
second  evenings  after  his  arrival.  Four  priests  of  the 
papal  Greek  Church  were  among  the  callers,  and  re- 
ligion was  the  subject  of  their  conversation.  The  next 
day  was  the  Sabbath,  nearly  the  whole  of  which  was 
spent  in  receiving  calls.  Among  those  who  came  in 
the  evening  were  three  priests  with  whom  he  conversed 
two  or  three  hours. 

The  next  morning  Aboona  Girgius  called,  a  papal 
Greek  priest  from  Barook,  three  miles  distant  toward 
Damascus.  In  conversation  they  came  upon  the  ex- 
pression "  thou  art  Peter,''  when  the  priest  ventured  to 
affirm  that  the  Bible  declared  Peter  to  be  the  head  of  the 


142  BIBLE   WORK    IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

church.  Mr.  King  handed  him  his  Bible,  and  begged 
him  to  show  him  where  that  was  said.  He  searched  a 
long  time  and  finally  closed  the  book  and  retired.  The 
same  day  came  Aboona  Germanus,  superior  of  the 
Maronite  priests  of  the  city.  He  received  Mr.  King 
with  all  the  kindness  and  attention  which  he  manifested 
last  year,  introducing  him  to  his  friends  with  flattering 
compliments. 

Aboona  Saba  from  Deir  Mokhollis,  one  of  the  two 
superiors  of  the  convents  of  the  papal  Greek  Church, 
called  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Domani.  He  was  often 
mentioned  to  Mr.  King  the  previous  summer  as  being 
one  of  the  most  learned  priests  on  Mt.  Lebanon.  ^^Go,'' 
said  the  people,  "  and  dispute  with  Aboona  Saba.  Con- 
vince him  and  we  will  follow  you."  He  spoke  Italian, 
having  spent  ten  years  at  Rome.  He  was  very  polite 
and  entered  freely  into  conversation.  He  said  the  dis- 
covery of  America  had  been  an  injury  to  religion. 
Infidels  have  made  people  believe  that  the  natives  of 
that  land  could  not  be  the  descendants  of  Adam.  He 
asked  of  what  sect  the  Americans  were. 

Mr.  King  said,  "  We  are  Protestants." 

*'  You  have  protested,  then,  against  the  true  church." 

"  Noj  sir;  against  the  errors  of  the  church." 

"Errors  in  the  church!  No,  no;  that  cannot  be. 
Old  things  are  better  than  new." 

"  Very  true.  Therefore  it  was  that  we  protested. 
The  Roman  Church  was  full  of  new  things,  and  so  we 
left  it  and  returned  to  the  old  church  of  Christ  and  the 
apostles." 

The  next  day  Priest  Yoosef  came  in,  and  spoke  of 
the  order  that  had  come  from  the  patriarch  to  destroy 
all  the  books  that  had  been  distributed  by  the  English, 


BIBLE   WORK    IN   BIBLE    LANDS.  143 

but  saying  that  neither  he  nor  the  people  here  would 
obey  the  order. 

Soon  after  Priest  Yoosef  had  gone,  Saad-ibu-Bas 
a  Maronite  of  Mr.  King's  former  acquaintance,  came  in. 
He  said,  "  I  suppose  you  have  heard  of  the  patriarch's 
order?'' 

"  Yes — that  all  the  Bibles  distributed  by  the  English 
should  be  burned.  Why  is  that?  Are  they  not  the 
word  of  God  ?" 

"Yes;  I  told  one  of  our  bishops  that  I  had  read 
your  Bible,  and  found  it,  word  for  word,  like  the  one 
printed  in  Rome,  and  asked  him  whether  it  made  any 
difference  where  the  book  was  printed  provided  it  was 
the  word  of  God ;  and  he  said  no.  And  suppose  the 
book  were  printed  by  a  bad  man,  by  a  Muslim,  where 
would  be  the  harm  for  me  to  receive  it  and  read  it? 
He  replied,  ^  You  might  receive  it  from  the  hand  of  a 
Muslim,  but  not  from  the  English.' " 

The  man  inquired  of  Mr.  King  what  motives  the 
English  had  in  printing  the  Bibles  and  sending  them 
here. 

Mr.  King  replied,  ^^  What  motives  had  the  Apostles 
in  going  abroad  and  publishing  the  gospel  ?  It  was  the 
command  of  Christ  that  they  should  make  the  gospel 
known  to  all  people.  This  command  is  binding  on  us. 
What  could  have  been  our  motive  in  doing  what  we  did 
for  the  Syrian  patriarch  Jarwi  ?  He  came  to  England 
and  the  English  gave  him  money,  a  large  sum  of  money, 
and  told  him  to  go  and  print  the  word  of  God  on  Mt. 
Lebanon.  An  American  gave  him  a  printing-press 
which  was  worth  some  hundreds  of  dollars.  Had  they, 
think  you,  any  bad  motives  in  doing  this  ?" 
"No;  but  did  the  English  really  do  this?" 


144  BIBLE    WORK    IN   BIBLE    LANDS. 

'^Surely,  and  for  the  express  purpose  that  you  might 
have  the  Bible.  It  is  now  five  years  since  the  patriarch 
was  in  England.  I  called  on  him  last  summer,  and 
asked  him  why  he  did  not  print  the  word  of  God.  He 
said  he  had  a  right  to  do  as  he  pleased.  So  your 
Maronite  patriarch  takes  the  same  course.  He  neither 
gives  you  the  Bible  nor  will  he  suffer  us  to  do  it.'' 

"  Oh  yes — we  have  Bibles  printed  at  Rome." 

"But  what  is  the  price  of  that  Bible?  At  least  a 
hundred  piasters.  Such  Bibles  are  useless.  They  are 
not  Bibles  for  the  people.  The  truth  is,  the  Romish 
Church  does  not  wish  you  to  have  the  Scriptures." 

"  But  the  Church  is  of  authority.  ^  Thou  art  Peter, 
and  on  this  rock  will  I  build  my  church.'" 

"Yes.  You  profess  to  be  built  upon  St.  Peter. 
Why  do  you  not  obey  St.  Peter  ?  He  says  you  would 
do  well  to  go  to  the  Scriptures  as  to  ^a  light  shining 
in  a  dark  place.' " 

"St.  Augustine  said  that  if  the  Church  should  say 
the  Scriptures  were  not  good,  he  should  say  so  too." 

"By  no  means.  He  said  this — that  if  the  Church 
had  not  received  the  Scriptures  at  first,  he  would  not  re- 
ceive them.  He  did  not  mean  your  Roman  Church,  but 
that  of  the  apostles  and  their  followers." 

"  I  hear  that  the  English  have  purchased  in  Kesru^n 
some  copies  of  the  Scriptures  printed  in  Rome  and 
burned  them." 

"That  is  a  lie  of  some  son  of  the  father  of  lies.  Any 
Englishman  who  should  burn  the  Bible  would  be  ac- 
counted a  miscreant — a  madman.  The  English  do  not 
even  burn  the  Koran." 

The  man  parted  with  Mr.  King  as  with  a  friend,  and 
seemed  to  carry  away  with  him  the  impression  that  his 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  145 

patriarch  had  taken  a  wrong  step  in  issuing  liis  late 
order. 

One  day  Mr.  King  called  in  to  see  the  superior,  Ger- 
manus.  He  found  Priest  Aioob  (Job)  Avith  him.  As 
soon  as  he  entered,  the  superior  said  to  the  priest,  "  This 
man  is  my  friend.  The  first  time  I  saw  him  I  loved 
him.  Go  tell  Father  Paul  to  come  and  talk  with  him." 
When  Father  Paul  came  the  conversation  turned  upon 
the  apocryphal  books  that  were  left  out  of  the  English 
Bibles.  While  this  was  under  discussion  four  or  five 
other  priests  came  and  as  many  more  of  the  common 
people.  The  American  was  on  all  sides  surrounded. 
The  superior  himself  sat  in  a  chair  outside  of  the  ring,  as 
if  to  act  as  judge  in  the  contest,  and  said  but  little.  After 
dismissing  the  Apocrypha,  Father  Paul  said,  "When 
did  the  schism  take  place  between  the  Church  of  Rome 
and  the  English?" 

"  About  three  hundred  years  ago." 

The  superior  asked,  "  What  was  the  name  of  that 
king  of  England  who  took  the  girl  ?  The  schism  began 
with  him." 

"  His  name  was  Henry.  He  was  a  persecutor  of  Prot- 
estants, lived  and  died  a  Roman  Catholic,  I  believe." 

Father  Paul  then  repeated,  "  It  is  about  three  hun- 
dred years  since  you  left  the  Church  ?" 

"  We  never  left  the  Church ;  we  only  left  the  errors 
of  the  Church." 

"  Errors  of  the  Church !"  said  they  all  together ; 
"  the  Church  in  error  !" 

"  To  be  sure.     So  we  believe ;  so  I  believe." 

Father  Paul  continued :  "  What  is  the  difference  be- 
tween you  and  the  Church?  What  occasioned  the 
division  ?" 

13 


146  BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

"  If  you  will  listen  a  little  while  I  will  tell  you  what 
occasioned  the  division." 

Here  Mr.  King  entered  into  a  detail  of  some  of  the 
abominable  practices  of  the  Church  of  Rome  about  the 
time  of  the  Reformation,  and  on  his  remarking  that  the 
Church  at  that  time  had  become  very  corrupt,  both 
priests  and  people,  Father  Paul  and  all  present  ex- 
claimed, "  The  Church  corrupt !  the  Church  corrupt ! 
Impossible!   Impossible  T' 

^^Not  at  all  impossible.  The  Jewish  Church  was 
once  the  only  Church  of  God,  and  did  it  not  fall  into 
error  and  wickedness  ?" 

"  But  the  Christian  Church  cannot  w^ander,  for  Christ 
said,  ^Lo,  I  am  with  you  alway.'" 

"Yes,  with  his  Church  to  prevent  it  from  destruc- 
tion, but  not  from  wandering,  for  St.  Paul  says  that  in 
the  last  time  there  shall  come  in  errors — many  shall 
depart  from  the  faith,  giving  heed  to  doctrines  of 
devils"  (Father  Paul  interrupting,  "Yes,  yes,  that  is 
very  true"),  "forbidding  to  marry,  and  commanding 
to  abstain  from  meats  which  God  hath  created  to  be 
received  with  thanksgiving." 

This  word  among  so  many  priests  and  monks  was 
like  fire  to  powder,  and  there  was  at  once  an  explosion 
from  the  whole  body  of  them.  So  great  was  the  tumult 
that  for  some  time  it  was  impossible  to  speak.  At 
length  Father  PauFs  voice  was  heard  above  the  rest, 
say* 


ms: 


6> 


"  There's  no  such  thing  in  the  Bible.  What  you  refer 
to  is  a  passage  about  keeping  holy  days." 

"I  mean  what  I  said.  It  is  the  word  of  God.  It  is 
in  Paul's  Epistle  to  Timothy." 

"  There  is  no  such  passage." 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS.  147 

"  Are  you  a  priest  and  do  yon  not  know  yonr  Bible 
better  than  this  ?  Bring  me  your  Bible  and  I  will  show 
you  the  passage." 

All  now  became  very  noisy,  every  one  wishiitg  to 
speak  to  Mr.  King  at  the  same  time.  So  he  said,  very 
gently,  "  Brethren,  listen."  At  this  gentle  request  they 
were  all  still,  and  he  proceeded,  repeating  mildly  what 
he  liad  before  said,  and  bringing  to  a  conclusion  the 
history  which  he  had  begun  to  give  them  of  the  separa- 
tion between  the  Protestant  and  Roman  Churches.  The 
discussion  had  hardly  reached  its  legitimate  close  when 
it  was  announced  that  the  hour  of  prayer  had  arrived. 
All  immediately  arose  and  took  their  leave. 

In  the  latter  part  of  June,  after  a  three  weeks'  visit 
at  the  mountain  capital,  Mr.  King,  being  joined  by  Mr. 
Fisk  from  Beirut,  set  off  on  a.  visit  to  Damascus  and 
Aleppo.  They  had  also  in  company  the  Rev.  Charles 
Cook,  an  English  Wesleyan.  Passing  a  night  at  Jib 
Jeneen  and  another  at  Demas,  they  reached,  in  twenty- 
two  traveling  hours,  the  gates  of  the  very  celebrated 
city  of  antiquity,  Damascus.  Here  Messrs.  Fisk  and 
Cook  alighted  from  their  beasts,  because  the  Muslims 
dwelling  in  Damascus  consider  their  city  to  be  so  holy 
that  it  would  be  polluted,  desecrated,  or  some  foul  thing, 
if  a  Christian  should  happen  to  be  seen  in  it  on  horse- 
back. But  Mr.  King  was  disposed  to  try  somewhat  the 
mettle  of  these  fanatical  followers  of  a  false  prophet. 
He  would  ride  at  any  rate  till  he  was  stopped.  He  had 
not  proceeded  many  rods  when  a  Muslim  came  up,  and 
finding  he  was  a  Frank  and  consequently  a  Christian, 
ordered  him  down. 

"  For  what  reason  ?" 


148 


BIBLE    WORK    IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 


"  Come  clown  ! — come  down  !" 

"But  I  am  an  Englishman.     I  have  a  firman  from 
the  grand  signor  giving  me  leave  to  walk  or  ride  where 


"Dismount,  I  say,  dismount!" 
"What!  an  Englishman  dismount?" 
"  No  matter  who  he  is,  he  must  dismount/' 
So  the  Englishman  (for  the  English-speaking  Ameri- 
can was  so  accounted),  with  his  firman,  having  tried  his 


DAMASCUS. 


experiment,  yielded  to  the  force  of  circumstances  and 
consented  to  walk  the  rest  of  the  way.  They  were  in- 
formed that  not  long  before  that  time  a  French  gentle- 
man, a  consul  from  Bagdad,  attempted  to  maintain  his 
right  to  ride  in  the  city,  and  was  cruelly  maltreated. 
A  firman  from  Constantinople  was  obtained  for  the 
punishment  of  the  offenders,  but,  like  other  laws  and 
orders  from  Constantinople,  it  fell  dead. 


BIBLE    WORK    IN   BIBLE   LANDS.  149 

Our  travelers  found  it  difficult,  in  all  this  great  com- 
mercial city,  to  obtain  a  place  to  lodge  in  for  the  night, 
and  were  obliged  at  last  to  accept  very  uncomfortable 
quarters  with  a  private  family.  A  friendly  priest,  how- 
ever, Aboonah  Michael,  and  he  a  Maronite,  learning 
their  situation,  obtained  for  them  very  decent  lodgings 
in  the  house  of  a  brother  Maronite  of  his. 

They  made  here  a  visit  of  only  twenty  days,  in  which 
time  they  conversed  extensively  with  Maronites,  Latins, 
Greeks,  Syrians,  Jews  and  Muslims,  and  distributed  a 
few  Scriptures.  After  this,  Messrs.  Fisk  and  King  set 
off  in  company  with  a  large  caravan  northward  for 
Aleppo,  Mr.  Cook  leaving  them  to  return  to  Beirut. 

At  Kara  they  found  about  thirty  Christian  families, 
half  orthodox  and  half  papal  Greeks.  Some  of  them 
received  the  Scriptures.  At  Khaseeah  also  were  about 
the  same  number  of  Christian  families  and  a  Greek 
priest.  They  asked  for  Scriptures,  but  the  travelers 
had  none  to  give  them.  Hums  (Emesa  of  the  Fathers), 
with  twenty  thousand  inhabitants,  had  five  hundred 
Greek  families  and  two  churches.  One  of  the  deacons 
was  very  friendly,  and  begged  that  if  any  fellow- 
laborers  of  theirs  should  come  to  reside  in  Hums  they 
would  come  directly  to  his  house.  Thirty  miles  farther 
on  they  arrived  at  Hamah,  probably  the  Hamatli  of 
Scripture  (Josh.  xiii.  5),  a  large  city  like  Hums.  Here 
were  a  thousand  Greek  Christians.  The  priest  was 
friendly  to  the  distribution  of  the  Scriptures.  From 
this  place  their  caravan  was  increased  to  three  or  four 
hundred  souls,  and,  having  been  reconnoitered  on  their 
march  by  Bedawin  robbers  and  suffered  excessively 
from  the  driving;  sand  and  heat  of  the  sun  and  want  of 
acconiniodations,  in  four  days  they  arrived  at  Aleppo. 
13* 


150  BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE   LAIRDS. 

They  had  on  their  journey  some  valuable  opportuni- 
ties to  preach  the  gospel  to  Muslims.  When  they  were 
encamped  at  Kara  several  Muslims  came  around  and 
began  to  talk  about  religion.  One  asked  Mr.  King, 
"Do  you  believe  the  Koran?"  He  answered,  flatly, 
"  No."  Another  said  that  the  sun,  moon  and  stars  were 
all  made  for  the  pleasure  of  Mohammed.  Another 
asked,  "  What  do  you  think  of  Christ?"  He  answered, 
"He  was  the  Son  of  God.  God  was  in  him.  He 
created  all  things.  Pie  will  judge  the  world  at  the  last 
day.  There 'is  no  salvation  but  by  his  blood."  The 
Muslims  said,  "God  forbid!  God  forbid!"  One  of 
them  asked  Mr.  King,  "Why  do  you  not  become  a 
Muslim  and  embrace  the  true  faith?"  He  answered, 
"  Give  me  reasons.  Show  me  proof  that  yours  is  the 
true  faith  and  I  will  turn  Muslim.  I  am  not  a  Christian 
because  my  father  was.  Our  father  Ibrahim  (Abraham) 
left  his  father's  religion  because  it  was  not  the  true  re- 
ligion.   So  ought  I  and  so  ought  you  to  do  in  like  case." 

One  day  Mr.  King  had  a  good  deal  of  conversation 
with  his  man  Haji  Ahmed,  telling  him  it  was  his  duty 
to  examine  for  himself,  etc.  Ahmed  listened  very  at- 
tentively while  the  way  of  salvation  was  pointed  out  to 
him.  Soon  after  this.  Sheikh  Taw-ha,  who  was  esteem- 
ed the  greatest  sheikh  in  the  caravan,  rode  up  to  Mr. 
King  and  began  to  talk  in  a  most  violent  manner,  pour- 
ing out  a  torrent  of  words  and  repeating  with  great 
rapidity  a  multitude  of  verses  from  the  Koran.  After 
a  while  he  said,  "  You  want  reasons.  Here  are  the 
reasons,  and  yet  you  will  not  believe  :  ^  There  is  no  God 
but  God.'"  This  he  said  very  loud,  and  many  Mus- 
lims gathered  around.  Mr.  King  was  apprehensive  that 
they  were  planning  to  pick  a  quarrel  with  him,  and  that 


BIBLE    WORK    IN   BIBLE   LANDS.  151 

they  were  watching  to  catch  something  out  of  his  mouth 
as  a  pretext  to  insult  or  do  him  some  violence.  He 
thought  it,  nevertheless,  his  duty  to  vindicate,  before 
them  all,  the  cause  of  Christ,  and  as  soon  as  he  had 
opportunity  to  say  a  word  he  said,  "  That  there  is  no 
God  but  God  is  one  of  the  first  articles  of  my  belief,  and 
Jesus  Christ  is  God." 

At  this  Taw-ha  began  again  in  a  most  violent  man- 
ner, saying,  "  You  are  an  idolater ;  you  worship  images ; 
I  have  seen  them  in  your  churches  in  Damascus  and  at 
Jerusalem.     You  ask  the  priests  to  pardon  your  sins." 

Mr.  King  denied,  saying,  "  We  do  not — we  do  not." 

"  But  I  have  seen  them  with  my  own  eyes — with  my 
own  eyesJ^ 

After  hearing  the  man  rail  a  long  time,  Mr.  King 
said,  with  a  loud  voice,  "  You  do  not  know  my  faith. 
The  Meta-wallies  call  themselves  Muslims.  Would 
you  not  be  offended  if  I  should  call  you  a  Meta-walli  ?" 

"Yes." 

"  I  am  an  Englishman,  and  my  faith  is  no  more  like 
the  faith  of  the  Christians  in  this  country  than  yours  is 
like  that  of  the  Meta-wallies.  What  signifies  all  your 
talk  till  you  know  what  I  believe?  I  do  not  worship 
images ;  they  are  not  in  our  churches.  We  do  not  pray 
to  saints :  that  would  be  a  sin.  We  do  not  ask  the 
priest  to  forgive  us  :  God  alone  can  pardon  sins,  and  to 
him  is  our  worship  due." 

On  hearing  this  the  sheikh  lowered  his  voice  a  little 
and  said,  "But  you  believe  that  Jesus  Christ  is  the  Son 
of  God?" 

"  Yes,  because  he  was  not  begotten  by  man,  but  was 
miraculously  conceived  by  the  power  of  the  Holy 
Ghost." 


152  BIBLE   WORK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

The  conversation  continued  for  some  time  longer,  and 
was  brought  to  a  close  in  much  good  humor. 

When  they  were  encamped  near  Er  Rasta,  on  the 
banks  of  the  A-see-ah  (Orontes),  they  could  procure 
neither  milk  nor  leben.  There  was  an  encampment  of 
Bedawin  half  an  hour  distant,  where  they  might  have 
procured  milk,  but  the  Arabs  of  the  company  were  afraid 
to  go  to  them  for  it.  "  Toward  night,^^  says  Mr.  King, 
"  seeing  a  Beda-wy  leading  his  flocks  on  the  other  side 
of  the  river,  I  passed  over  by  a  bridge,  and  going  up  to 
him  bade  him  salaam  (peace).  He  returned  my  salu- 
tation, but  fixed  his  eye  steadily  upon  me  with  all  the 
starings  of  an  old  warrior.  His  face  was  dark,  his  eyes 
were  sunk  deep  in  his  head,  and  his  whole  appearance 
was  that  of  one  inured  to  want  and  accustomed  to  suf- 
fer. I  said  to  him,  *  I  am  a  stranger.  I  am  come  to 
ask  you  if  you  can  furnish  me  with  a  little  milk,  for 
which  I  will  pay  you.^  '  Bo,'  said  he,  a  word  which  I 
did  not  understand,  and  asked  an  explanation.  Turn- 
ing to  his  flock  he  said, 

^'  *  Here  I  wander  about  daily  with  my  flock,  but  I 
eat  not  of  their  flesh  and  have  no  profit.  Government 
takes  all.' 

"  ^  There  is  a  better  world  than  this,'  replied  I,  ^  which 
we  shall  soon  enter  if  we  are  j^repared  for  it.  The 
world  we  are  in  is  fast  passing  away.  In  a  few  years 
we  shall  return  to  the  earth  from  whence  we  were  taken. 
I  am  a  Christian.  I  believe  in  Christ.  If  we  are  in 
him,  and  believe  in  him,  and  love  him,  we  shall  be  hap- 
py in  the  world  to  come.  He  died  to  redeem  us.  We 
are  all  sinners.  There  is  no  salvation  but  through  the 
blood  of  Christ.' 

"  While  1  thus  addressed  him,  his  stern  countenance 


BIBLE    WORK    IX    BIHI.E    LANDS.  153 

softened,  and  I  said  to  myself,  '  Who  can  tell  but  these 
few  words  may  be  the  means  of  leading  his  mind  to  God, 
and  saving  his  soul  ?^  He  offered  me  a  pipe  of  tobacco 
as  a  mark  of  friendship,  and  as  I  turned  from  him  I 
said,  'I  shall  probably  never  see  you  again  in  this  world, 
but  I  hope  we  may  meet  there  (pointing  upward)  and 
be  happy.'  '^ 

At  Aleppo  the  brethren  were  kindly  received  by  the 
English  consul,  John  Barker,  Esq.,  and  were  entertained 
for  some  days  in  his  family.  The  very  day  after  they 
came,  the  pasha,  who  was  a  surly  Turk,  sent  word  to 
the  consul  that  a  firman  against  the  Christian  Scriptures, 
printed  in  England,  had  come  to  hand,  and  that  all  such 
books  as  had  been  distributed  must  be  called  in  and 
placed  in  a  sealed  depot  till  they  could  be  sent  back. 

This  firman,  however,  on  examination,  was  found  not 
to  specify  Scriptures  from  Englandy  but  made  use  of  the 
general  expression  "  The  Frank  country  '^ — Europe.  It 
also  ordered  that  the  books  "  be  taken  and  cast  into  the 
fire,''  at  the  same  time  that,  in  another  place,  it  orders 
them  to  be  ^^  sent  back."  It  was  a  document  most  bung- 
lingly  patched  up,  full  of  absurdities,  repetitions,  and 
contradictions.  Moreover,  it  required  a  violation  of 
articles  of  treaty.  No  Turk  was  at  liberty  to  take  and 
destroy  property  belonging  to  Franks. 

There  seemed  to  be  good  reason  to  believe  that  the 
document  was  purchased  by  Roman  gold,  and  came 
forth  through  unofficial  and  unpracticed  hands.  It, 
however,  procured  for  the  whole  anti-scriptural  party  a 
temporary  advantage.  Even  some  of  the  Greek  ecclesi- 
astics, who  had  begun  to  fear  the  influence  of  the  Scrip- 
tures, took  occasion  to  oppose  their  distribution  by 
pleading  this  firman  as  an  excuse.     The  Turks  them- 


154  BIBLE   WORK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

selves  never  showed  any  zeal  in  carrying  out  the  order, 
except  as  they  were  set  on  by  anti-Bible  men  among  the 
nominal  Christians. 

The  Protestant  consuls,  with  Mr.  Turner,  the  British 
chargd  at  Constantinople,  at  their  head,  resisted  the 
order  from  the  beginning,  and  from  the  difficulty  of 
executing  it  the  matter  in  a  few  months  passed  into 
oblivion. 

The  most  of  the  three  months  spent  by  the  two 
brethren  in  Aleppo  was  occupied  in  study.  They,  with 
Mr.  Lewis,  who  had  joined  them  from  Beirut,  maintained 
a  regular  preaching  service  at  the  English  consulate, 
and  they  had  occasional  opportunities,  which  they  im- 
proved, of  conversation  with  the  people;  but  the  threat- 
ening firman  had  for  a  time  the  effect  of  preventing  the 
usual  efforts  for  Scripture  distribution. 

On  leaving  Aleppo,  Mr.  King  gave  the  only  Arabic 
Bible  he  had  left  to  the  man  with  whom  he  lived,  and 
Mr.  Fisk  gave  his  to  a  Greek  priest  from  Killis.*  This 
priest  reported  that  the  Turks  had  been  to  Killis,  taken 
all  the  books  they  found  in  the  churches  (Greek  and 
Armenian)  and  put  the  priests  under  keeping;  but  after 
examining  the  books,  they  restored  both  them  and  the 
priests.  They  found  no  Bible  Society  books  in  the 
churches,  and  the  private  houses  they  did  not  search. 
'The  priest  urged  the  plea  of  poverty  to  Mr.  Fisk,  and 
assured  him  that  there  was  not  in  all  Killis  among  the 
Greeks  an  Arabic  Bible. 

In  the  latter  part  of  October  the  missionaries,  includ- 
ing Mr.  Lewis,  accompanied  by  an  English  traveler, 
Mr.  Maddox,  set  out  from  Aleppo  for  Beirut.  The 
third  day  they  came  to  Antakia,  the  village  remnant 
*  A  town  a  day  or  two  north  of  Aleppo. 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  155 

of  the  ancient  Antioch,  where  tlie  believers  in  Christ 
were  first  called  Christians.  This  once  famous  city 
among  the  cities  of  the  world,  "third  in  rank  for 
beauty,  extent  and  population,"  was  supposed  in  1824 
to  contain  only  five  thousand  inhabitants,  five  hundred 
of  whom  were  Christians,  chiefly  of  the  Greek  rite. 
And  these  Christians  had  no  place  of  worship  better 
than  a  grotto,  or  hole  in  the  rock,  which  the  natives 
were  afraid  to  have  the  travelers  visit  lest  it  should 
attract  the  attention  of  their  Mohammedan  masters  and 
bring  upon  them  some  act  of  oppression. 

The  missionaries  found  here  the  Greek  patriarch  who 
had  lately  come  on  a  visit  and  whom  they  had  seen  at 
Damascus,  where  he  resided.  He  informed  them  that 
soon  after  they  left  Damascus  the  firman  about  the  Scrip- 
tures was  made  public  in  that  city,  and  the  governor 
immediately  sent  after  the  Bible  men  by  way  of  Jeru- 
salem, supposing  they  had  gone  in  that  direction  ;  that 
the  Greeks  were  afraid  of  some  injury  in  consequence 
of  the  firman,  but  they  had  suffered  none,  nor  had  any 
books  been  taken  from  them. 

Leaving  Antioch,  the  travelers  passed  a  night  at 
Suadia  (Swa-deey),  near  the  mouth  of  the  A-see-ah 
(Orontes),  and  the  next  day,  under  torrents  of  rain, 
they  came  to  Casitb  (or  Kessab),  a  village  of  one 
thousand  Armenians.  They  were  well  treated  in  the 
hovel  of  the  sheikh,  with  whom  they  left  an  Armenian 
New  Testament,  and  also  a  second  copy  for  his  father, 
the  priest  of  the  village.* 

*  Since  this  visit  the  village  of  Kessab  has  received  attention  from 
the  mission,  and  has,  to  a  large  extent,  become  Protestant,  having  an 
evangelical  church,  with  its  own  native  pastor,  and  a  new  house  of 
worship. 


156  BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

Another  day  brought  them  to  Ladikia  (Laodlcea), 
where  they  remained  three  days  on  account  of  the  dis- 
turbed state  of  the  country.  For  fear  of  the  Nuseireeyies 
no  muleteers  could  be  obtained  by  the  company  to  carry 
them  on.  They  therefore  felt  obliged  to  undertake  a 
passage  to  Tripoli  by  sea.  From  stress  of  weather, 
however,  they  were  forced  to  take  shelter  in  a  harbor 
near  the  river  Banias  and  the  town  and  castle  of 
Merkab. 

They  obtained  animals  here  and  again  commenced 
their  journey  by  land.  It  was  past  noon  when  they 
got  under  way. 

The  storm  which  had  been  long  threatening  soon 
broke  upon  them  furiously,  and  they  rode  under  pour- 
ing water  till  night.  A  very  friendly  Turk  with  whom 
they  fell  in  at  the  khan,  and  who  offered  to  be  their 
guide,  took  them  up  the  mountain,  steep  and  rocky,  to 
a  little  village  of  six  or  seven  hovels,  where  they  might 
lodge  for  the  night.  At  one  of  the  doors  they  knocked, 
and  an  old  man  with  a  white  beard  came  and  opened  it. 
Could  they  remain  in  his  house  for  the  night  ?  ^'  No," 
said  he,  talking  loudly  and  boisterously.  He  had  no 
room  for  them.  After  a  while,  however,  he  gave  way 
and  consented  to  admit  them.  They  found  one  half 
the  room  filled  with  cotton  seeds  and  cotton ;  a  lamb 
was  lying  by  the  fire,  and  two  cows  stood  in  one  corner. 
One  other  corner  only  remained  for  the  old  man's 
family  of  seven  or  eight  persons.  These  stepped  aside 
to  make  room  for  the  strangers  and  took  their  stand 
among  the  bags  of  cotton.  The  fire  had  no  outlet  for 
the  smoke,  but  right  glad  to  find  any  shelter  from  the 
raging  storm  without,  the  travelers  sat  down,  soaked 
with  rain,  and  had  the  few  articles  of  baggage  they  had 


BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  157 

brought  from  the  boat,  which  also  were  wet  as  them- 
selves, placed  under  and  around  them.  They  called  for 
wood.  The  fire  was  increased  and  so  was  the  smoke. 
"With  streaming  eyes  they  ate  a  fowl,  a  bit  of  bread  and 
a  little  fruit  which  they  had  brought.  All  except  Mr. 
Maddox  had  left  their  beds  in  the  boat  to  go  by  water ; 
but  had  they  brought  them  they  would  have  been  wet 
and  useless  for  want  of  space.  So  each  one  endeavored 
to  sleep  as  best  he  could  in  the  place  he  happened  to  take 
on  first  entering,  for  there  was  no  lying  down  without  in- 
commoding each  other.  Mr.  King,  who  could  not  sleep, 
contrived  to  beguile  the  time  by  conversing  with  the 
family.  The  old  man's  name  was  Abraham,  and  they 
were  glad  to  find  that  he  was  of  the  Greek  Church  and 
not  one  of  the  Nuseireeyies. 

They  were  glad  when  they  found  that  the  morning 
had  dawned  and  the  rain  abated.  At  their  leaving  the 
village  they  gave  the  old  patriarch  a  few  piasters,  at 
which  he  and  all  the  rest  of  the  family  expressed  them- 
selves highly  gratified.  The  neighbors  also  flocked  out 
to  see  them  and  wished  them  blessings  and  a  happy 
journey. 

At  Tartoos  (Tortosa)  they  were  treated  with  great 
respect  by  the  governor  of  the  little  village,  who  pro- 
cured for  them  a  room,  invited  them  to  dine  at  his 
house  and  waited  on  them  as  they  ate. 

Off  against  Tartoos  is  the  small  island  of  Irwad, 
once  the  site  of  a  considerable  city,  the  evidence  of 
whose  existence  still  remains  in  various  architectural 
ruins.  It  has  a  name  in  the  Scriptures,  as  the  home  of 
the  Ar\^dites  (2  Kings  xviii.  34 ;  Ezek.  xxvii.  8, 11),  and 
a  present  population  of  some  thousands,  chiefly  Muslims. 

At  the  river  A  brash  their  very  obliging  guide,  Hadji 

14 


158  BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

Ahmed,  left  them.  He  was  passing  from  Ladlkia  to 
Tartoos,  when  he  found  our  travelers  at  the  khan  of 
Merkab,  and  offered  them  his  services  as  a  guide.  He 
delayed  his  own  journey  for  their  sakes,  found  for  them 
the  village  in  the  mountains,  sleeping  himself  in  the 
stable;  he  introduced  them  favorably  to  the  governor  of 
Tartoos,  and  there  again  lodged  among  the  horses,  ask- 
ing in  no  case  for  money,  or  food  either  for  himself  or 
his  horse.  Instead  of  going  directly  from  Tartoos  to 
his  house  in  the  mountains,  he  went  with  the  company 
several  hours  out  of  his  way  till  they  came  in  sight  of 
Tripoli,  and  then,  without  asking  for  anything,  accepted 
thankfully  a  small  reward  and  rode  off.  When  thanked 
for  his  generous  services  to  men  who  were  strangers  in 
the  land  he  replied,  "  I,  too,  am  a  stranger  from  the  land 
of  Egypt.'' 

Tripoli  was  reached  at  eight  in  the  evening,  where 
they  were  hospitably  entertained  by  the  consular  agent, 
Mr.  Catziflis,  until  their  boat  from  Banias  arrived  with 
their  baggage.  Meantime  a  Sabbath  was  passed,  and 
Mr.  risk  preached  in  Italian  to  a  small  audience  con- 
sisting of  the  consuls  and  persons  belonging  to  their 
families.  From  Tripoli  the  travelers  proceeded  by 
land,  lodging  the  first  night  in  Batroon  (ancient 
Botrus),  at  the  house  of  the  Maronite  priest  Stephen, 
and  reached  Beirut  the  next  day,  weary  and  worn  after 
a  ride  of  fifteen  hours.  Nineteen  days  had  they  been 
journeying  from  Aleppo  in  circumstances  of  exposure, 
and  at  times  of  extreme  discomfort,  and  they  were  not 
now  slow  to  express  their  gratitude  for  being  found  once 
more  under  the  same  roof  with  those  that  cordially 
sympathized  with  them  in  all  their  labors  and  priva- 
tions. 


THE  MARONITE  PATRIARCH. 


CHAPTER   IX. 


Keply  to  the  Patriarch's  Bull — Mr.  Fisk  robbed — Patriarch  Jarwi 
roused — Mr.  King  with  Mr.  Fisk  at  Jaffa  and  Jerusalem — Pasha 
collecting  taxes  at  Jerusalem — His  cruelties — Journey  to  Beirut — 
Robbers — Assad  Shidiak — His  casting  a  lot  about  the  Pope — Mr. 
King  leaves  Syria. 

T>EING  now  fully  represented  at  Beirut,  that  is,  both 
-■-^  missions,  American  and  English,  we  held  consulta- 
tions together  on  the  interests  of  our  common  Protestant- 
ism.    Among  other  objects  to  be  accomplished,  we  de- 

159 


160  BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

cided  in  favor  of  a  public  reply  to  the  slanderous  proc- 
lamation of  the  Maronite  patriarch. 

Of  this  reply  the  following  is  an  epitome : 

1.  You  accuse  us  of  distributing  the  word  of  God 
under  the  influence  of  Satan.  Ans.  You  think  then  the 
work  of  publishing  God's  own  truth  is  a  Satanic  work. 
Did  not  the  apostles  and  Christ  himself  perform  this 
kind  of  work  ?  Paul  recommends  taking  God's  word 
as  a  sword  to  fight  the  devil  with.  St.  Cyprian  says  the 
word  of  God  brings  the  heretics  out  to  the  light  and 
refutes  them. 

2.  You  accuse  us  of  distributing  Bibles  full  of  errors. 
Our  Bibles  are  a  faithful  reprint  of  your  own  Propa- 
ganda Bible.     Is  that  Bible  full  of  errors  ? 

3.  You  say  we  have  omitted  seven  holy  books.  The 
Jews,  from  whom  we  had  them,  never  said  they  were 
holy.  The  early  Fathers  said  they  were  not  so.  Jerome, 
Gregory  Theologus,  Athanasius  and  the  Council  of 
Laodicea  reject  them. 

4.  You  glorify  your  Church  as  being  founded  on 
Peter.  Ans.  Paul  says  there  is  no  other  foundation  but 
Jesus  Christ.  Chrysostom  and  others  of  the  Fathers 
say  that  the  Pock  on  which  the  Church  was  founded 
(Matt,  xvi.)  was  not  Peter,  but  Christ.  Jerome,  the 
author  of  your  own  Vulgate  Bible,  expressly  says  that 
"  the  bishop  of  Rome  can  claim  no  divine  authority  for  his 
Church  above  that  of  any  other  bishopJ' 

5.  You  accuse  us  of  preaching  false  doctrine.  Ans. 
We  challenge  you  to  the  proof  by  the  only  true  standard, 
wdiich  is  the  word  of  God. 

6.  You  assert  that  we  buy  up  the  Bibles  printed  in 
Rome  that  we  may  eradicate  them  from  the  land.  Ans. 
The  accusation  is  utterly  unfounded.     A  few  years  ago 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS.  161 

it  is  well  known  that  the  English  contributed  a  con- 
siderable sum  of  money  to  enable  the  Syrian  Catholic 
Patriarch  to  print  the  Scriptures  correctly,  according  to 
the  Roman  Church.  Could  they  do  this  and  wish  to 
root  out  Roman  Bibles  from  the  land  ? 

7.  You  warn  the  people  against  receiving  the  Scrip- 
tures, although  accurately  printed  after  the  approved 
Romish  edition.  Ans.  No  wonder,  since  the  Council 
of  Trent  declares  that  "the  Scriptures  in  the  vulgar 
tongue  do  more  harm  than  good.^^  But  Jesus  Christ 
said,  "  Search  the  Scriptures,^^  and  "  Ye  do  err,  not  know- 
ing the  Scriptures,"  that  is,  because  ye  know  not  the 
Scriptures.  And  the  apostles  exhort  men  to  take  heed  to 
the  Scriptures  as  to  '^  a  light  shining  in  a  dark  place," 
and  affirm  that  *^  all  Scripture  is  profitable  for  instruc- 
tion, that  the  man  of  God  may  be  perfect." 

When  this  document  was  ready  to  be  delivered  over 
to  the  hands  of  the  translator*  at  Antoora,  Mr.  Fisk 
was  appointed  to  be  the  carrier.  While  on  his  way  he 
experienced  one  of  those  serio-comic  adventures  for 
which  Syria  is  somewhat  remarkable.  It  was  a  time  of 
anarchy  in  Lebanon  on  account  of  the  pending  contest 
for  power  between  the  reigning  prince  and  the  Druze 
Sheikh  Besheer.  Mr.  Fisk  had  finished  more  than  half 
his  journey,  having  reached  the  foot  of  the  mountains, 
when  a  man  suddenly  showed  himself  by  his  side  and 
demanded  of  him  a  pinch  of  snuff.  He  soon  caught  Mr. 
risk's  beast  by  the  halter  to  prevent  his  proceeding,  but, 
after  a  little  expostulation  from  the  rider,  loosed  his  hold 
and  let  him  go  on,  keeping,  however,  near  by  and  re- 
peating his  demand  with  increasing  emphasis.  Mr.  Fisk, 
to  put  him  off  and  gain  time,  affected  to  understand 
*  Bisliop  Hanna  Marone. 
14* 


162  BIBLE   WORK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

him  literally,  assuring  him  that  he  did  not  use  the  arti- 
cle he  wanted,  at  the  same  time  spurring  up  his  beast  to 
get  out  of  his  way.  But  he  was  not  to  be  put  off  so. 
He  was  sure  that  the  man  had  some  of  the  snuff  that 
he  wanted,  and  quickening  his  pace,  was  again  at  the 
liead  of  the  animal  and  had  brought  him  to  a  halt. 
The  mule-driver  then  came  up  and  compelled  him  to 
loose  his  hold.  He  then  immediately  drew  forth  a  pis- 
tol, cocked  it,  opened  the  pan,  and  removed  the  paper 
put  there  to  keep  his  powder  dry,  all  the  while  having 
his  eye  sternly  fixed  on  his  threatened  victim.  At  this 
moment  the  latter,  without  giving  the  villain  time  to 
shut  the  pan,  caught  hold  of  the  weapon  with  both  his 
hands,  and  a  struggle  ensued  in  which  the  rider  was  un- 
horsed. The  struggle  continued,  but  neither  was  able 
to  wrest  the  pistol  from  the  grasp  of  the  other,  when  a 
stout  lad  came  up  with  an  open  knife  and  was  about  to 
try  its  edge  on  Mr.  Fisk's  hands.  The  latter,  not  know- 
ing how  many  more  men  of  like  occupation  there  might 
be  in  the  vicinity,  gave  up  the  contest  for  that  time  and 
walked  on.  The  man  for  the  moment  was  quieted,  but 
soon  began  again  to  renew  his  clamor,  and  became  so 
furious  and  threatening  that  his  antagonist  felt  impelled 
to  try  again  to  gain  possession  of  the  pistol.  He  was 
again  unsuccessful ;  but  finally  the  man  came  to  terms 
so  far  as  to  accept  the  offer  of  a  few  piasters  and  not  in- 
sist that  the  snuff  should  be  paid  in  kind. 

He  had  now  become  all  at  once  a  different  man,  and 
told  Mr.  Fisk  of  the  dangers  of  the  road  he  was  traveling, 
but  said,  '^  If  you  choose  to  go  on,  I  will  be  your  guide 
and  protector,  and  if  fifty  men  meet  you,  never  fear — it 
shall  be  all  upon  me."  Mr.  Fisk  believed  him  to  be 
sincere  and  trustw^orthy,  but  did  not  care  to  expose  the 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS.  163 

generous  robber  or  himself  to  the  possible  harm  that 
might  happen  to  them,  and  so  turned  his  face  backward 
toward  Beirut. 

The  reply  to  the  patriarch,  however,  was  in  due  time 
translated,  copied  and  sent,  in  manuscript  form  (for  we 
had  then  no  press),  in  various  directions  in  the  moun- 
tains, and,  strange  to  say,  it  was  received,  even  by 
ecclesiastics  in  some  cases,  with  approbation.  Bishop 
Stefano,  of  the  Mar  Moosa  convent  near  Brummana, 
recommended  it  to  be  read  to  his  people.  Khoori  An- 
ton, chief  priest  of  the  Greeks  in  Beirut,  extolled  it 
highly,  and  called  the  patriarch  hard  names  for  having 
said  against  us  what  he  had  in  his  manshoor. 

But  there  was  one  among  the  ecclesiastics  of  Mount 
Lebanon  that  did  not  like  it.  This  was  the  notorious 
Peter  Jarwi,  Roman  Catholic  patriarch  of  the  papal 
Syrians  of  the  East,  once  Bishop  of  Jerusalem  and  soli- 
citor in  England  for  help  to  print  the  Scriptures  which 
he  never  printed. 

Two  or  three  months  after  the  publication  of  the  reply 
to  the  Maronite  patriarch's  proclamation,  we  received  a 
sealed  document  headed  thus  :  "  A  manifesto  in  the  name 
of  the  Lord.  To  all  to  whom  these  presents  may  come, 
greeting.^' 

It  proceeded  :  "  Whereas,  we  have  lately  seen  an  ad- 
dress of  the  Bibliani  (Bible  men),  dated  January  1, 
which  they  are  pleased  to  call  a  reply  to  the  manshoor 
of  our  Right  Rev.  brother  Joseph,  Maronite  patriarch 
of  Antioch,  and  we  have  seen  it  full  of  statements  and 
opinions  reprobated  by  the  holy  Catholic  Apostolic  Roman 
Church,  mother  and  instructress  of  all  churches,  having 
one  visible  head  on  earth,  the  pontiff,  successor  of  St.  Peter 
the  apostle,  whom  Jesus  Christ  constituted  vicar  in  his 


164  BIBLE   WORK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

stead,  entrusted  to  him  the  keys  of  heaven,  to  loose  and 
bind,  and  set  him  as  a  rock  on  which  he  built  his 
Church,  and  after  his  resurrection  submitted  to  his  care 
his  flock  of  sheep — that  is,  all  Christians  with  their 
governors  and  teachers ;  that  consequently  all  Catholic 
believers  of  every  condition,  rank  and  office  should 
glorify  God  in  their  subjection  as  members  united  to 
their  head,  who  is  the  father  of  all  believers,  and  that 
they  should  receive  no  other  doctrines  than  those  of 
their  only  mother  the  Roman  Church,  to  whom  it  per- 
tains not  only  to  give  them  the  holy  Scriptures  and  to 
declare  what  books  are  canonical,  but  to  give  their  in- 
terpretation also." 

After  this  brief  sentence  for  a  preface,  the  prelate  says 
that  the  Bibliani  insinuate  that  he  is  an  accomplice  with 
them  in  the  dissemination  of  the  Scriptures.  The  crime 
of  such  a  thing  would  be  so  great  that  he  cannot  bear 
even  its  insinuation.  "  Be  it  known,  then,  to  all  men," 
he  says,  "  that  when  we  first  thought  of  obtaining  a 
press,  we  sought  permission  from  the  holy  Society  fur 
Propagating  the  Faith,  who  gave  a  written  recommenda- 
tion of  our  design  when  as  yet  we  were  in  the  office  of 
Archbishop  of  Jerusalem.  When  we  went  to  London 
to  obtain  assistance  it  was  with  reference  solely  to  the 
Roman  Catholics  of  that  city,  but  the  Protestant  Eng- 
lisli,  of  their  ovm  aGcord^  chose  to  make  collections  for 
our  benefit.  We  made  known  to  them  and  to  others, 
in  word,  in  writing  and  in  print,  that  we,  by  the  grace 
of  God,  were  Roman  Catholic,  yielding  subjection  to 
the  pontiff,  and  acknowledging  him  to  be  not  merely 
Bishop  of  Rome,  but  General  Director  and  Head 

OF     THE     WHOLE     HABITABLE     WORLD.*       And     wheu 
*  The  dogma  of  infallibility  anticipated. 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS.  165 

they  had  collected  their  charities  and  were  about  to  pre- 
sent them  to  us^  we  then,  a  second  time,  declared  to 
them  all  that  if  they  consented  to  make  this  gift  on  the 
ground  of  a  mere  charity,  without  any  restriction  what- 
ever, we  would  receive  it;  otherwise,  not.  .  .  .  We 
therefore  disclaim  all  shadow  of  confederacy  and  all 
semblance  of  communion  with  these  Bibliani  in  the 
business  of  printing  and  disseminating  the  Scriptures, 
and  we  hereby  declare,  affirm  and  publish  to  all  men, 
individually  and  collectively,  of  every  rank,  condition 
and  office,  that  we,  by  the  grace  of  God,  have  never 
been  united  with  these  men  in  their  object,  and,  by  the 
grace  of  God,  never  will  be.  .  .  . 

"Ignatius  Peter, 

"  Ignoble  Syrian  Patriarch  of  Antioch. 
"  Given  in  the  Convent  of  Mar  Efram,  Mount  Leb- 
anon, on  the  9th  day  of  tlie  month  Adar  (March  20), 
1825.'' 

The  Bible  men  had  declared  that  they  did  not  buy  up 
Roman  Bibles  to  get  them  out  of  circulation,  but,  on  the 
contrary,  had  given  money  to  the  Syrian  patriarch  to 
increase  their  circulation.  To  refute  the  assertion  of  the 
Bible  men  he  should  have  shown,  either  that  the  Eng- 
lish gave  him  no  money,  or  that  it  was  not  to  be  applied 
to  the  printing  of  Bibles.  But  he  shows  neither.  How 
the  two  parties  (the  English  and  the  bishop)  understood 
each  other  the  two  following  epistolary  extracts  suffi- 
ciently explain.  Professor  Yates,  of  Oxford  University, 
writes  to  the  bishop  thus :  "  O  thou  good  shepherd  of 
the  Eastern  flock,  .  .  .  you  have  come  from  the  land 
of  Syria  to  England,  to  the  city  of  London,  to  help  us 
in  the  good  work  of  the  Lord,  even  to  accomplish  the 


166  BIBLE   WOEK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

printiDg  of  the  word  of  God  in  the  language  of  your 
country.  .  .  .  You  see,  sir,  how  many  thousands  of 
Christians  there  are  in  this  land,  sincere  believers  in  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  are  zealous  for  the  gospel  and 
are  engaged  in  discipling  all  men  by  the  doctrines  of 
Christ,  for  so  our  Lord  commanded,"  etc. 

The  archbishop  replies :  "  I  have  received  your  letter 
written  in  Syriac,  and  was  gratified  by  it  with  gratifica- 
tion unspeakable.  ...  I  have  come  hither  to  receive 
the  donations  of  the  Christian  people  dwelling  in  this 
noble  city  and  its  neighborhood,  and  that  I  may  procure 
type  to  print  the  holy  Scriptures,  the  doctrine  of  the 
truth,  that  it  may  the  more  easily  be  acquired  by  all. 
Now,  I  perceive  here  very  many  of  every  sect,  not  only 
rejoicing,  but  associating  together,  in  this  work  so  neces- 
sary to  my  flock. 

^^  And  I  pray  that  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  will  grant 
me  to  know  and  teach  that  knowledge  of  life  which  is 
found  in  the  divine  Scriptures. 

"The  Lowly  Gregory  Peter  Jarwi, 

"  Syrian  Archbishop  of  Jerusalem. 
"City  of  London,  1819." 

Comparing  these  two  letters  with  each  other  and  with 
the  preceding  strange  "  manifesto,"  we  see  two  things — 
not  only  that  Protestants  are  not  to  be  accused  of  buy- 
ing up  Komish  Bibles  to  destroy  them,  but  also  that  the 
''Archbishop  of  Jerusalem"  of  1819  and  the  "Ignoble 
Patriarch  of  Antioch"  of  1825  were  two  very  different 
men. 

On  the  1st  of  July  we  forwarded  one  of  our  joint  let- 
ters to  Boston,  of  which  the  following  abstract  will  show 
the  state  of  the  work  at  that  time : 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS.  167 

"Notwithstanding  all  that  has  been  attemptecl  to  frus- 
trate our  purposes  and  to  throw  a  cloud  over  our  mission, 
we  believe  that  we  can  say  with  truth,  and  we  would 
say  it  with  the  most  devout  thankfulness,  that,  so  far  as 
Beirut  is  concerned,  our  prospects  for  usefulness  never 
wore  a  brighter  aspect  than  at  present. 

"  The  menacing  circulars  of  native  ecclesiastics  and 
the  denunciations  from  Rome  were  comparatively  power- 
less, but  the  imperial  firman,  for  a  time,  spread  conster- 
nation throughout  all  Syria.  Still,  in  the  face  of  all 
that  is  formidable  in  the  whole  combined,  we  have, 
during  the  last  six  months,  given  away,  lent  and  sold 
in  our  neighborhood  two  hundred  of  our  sacred  books. 

"  The  school  that  we  established  a  year  ago  has  pros- 
pered beyond  our  most  sanguine  expectations.  It  con- 
tains between  eighty  and  ninety  pupils,  all  Arabs  and 
all  boys  but  two.  One  of  the  exceptions  is  the  teacher's 
wife,  who  is  about  fifteen  years  of  age,  the  other  a  little 
girl  about  ten.  Three  of  the  boys  are  of  the  Moham- 
medan faith,  two  are  Maronites,  two  papal  Greeks  and 
the  remainder  of  the  original  or  orthodox  Greek  Church. 
From  the  increased  number  of  the  pupils  we  have  found 
it  necessary,  for  the  last  two  months,  to  employ  a  writing- 
master  as  an  assistant. 

"  About  four  months  ago  we  succeeded  in  establishing 
a  second  school  in  a  village  several  hours  distant  from 
our  city,  which  has  twenty  pupils.  This,  of  course, 
cannot  enjoy  so  much  of  our  supervision  as  the  other, 
but  it  is  subject  to  the  same  regulations.  The  cost  of  it 
will  be  about  forty  dollars  annually. 

"  Four  times  a  week  through  a  part  of  the  winter,  and 
twice  a  week  the  rest  of  the  time,  we  addressed  a  com- 
pany of  beggars,  consisting  frequently  of  a  hundred  and 


168  BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS. 

fifty  persons,  at  the  same  time  administering  to  them  a 
pittance  for  their  bodily  wants. 

'^  Two  or  three  ecclesiastics  of  high  standing  in  the 
Armenian  Church  have  been,  by  the  good  providence 
of  God,  brought  into  close  connection  with  us — brought 
to  an  intimate  acquaintance  with  whatever  we  may  ex- 
hibit of  correctness  in  Christian  example  or  the  sim- 
plicity and  purity  in  Christian  worship,  and  to  an  open 
renunciation  of  their  former  errors.  They  have  already 
written  to  their  brethren  in  various  parts,  exposing  the 
errors  of  their  Church  and  the  wickedness  of  the  priests, 
and  we  cannot  but  hope  that  it  is  the  design  of  Provi- 
dence to  make  them,  in  their  limited  circle,  reformers  of 
the  age. 

"  In  our  own  families  we  have  daily  opportunities  for 
reading  and  expounding  the  Scriptures  and  speaking  of 
the  things  of  God  to  a  greater  or  less  number  of  per- 
sons, and  the  voice  of  Providence,  unless  we  misinterpret 
it,  is,  '  Be  not  afraid,  but  speak,  and  hold  not  your  peace, 
for  I  have  much  people  in  this  city.' '' 

Messrs.  Fisk  and  King,  who  had  passed  the  winter 
chiefly  at  Jaffa  and  Jerusalem,  after  a  tedious  detention 
at  the  latter  place,  reappeared  with  us  at  Beirut  in  May, 
1825.  The  history  of  their  labors  and  adventures  during 
their  absence  was  of  considerable  interest. 

At  Jaffa  began  the  first  regular  stated  Protestant 
preaching  in  the  native  language  in  Palestine.  Mr. 
King  on  nine  successive  Sabbaths  delivered  nine  Arabic 
discourses  to  an  audience  of  six  or  eight  to  twenty 
hearers,  in  the  house  of  the  English  consulate.  The 
house  stood  by  the  sea-side,  and  its  foundations  may 
have  belonged,  for  aught  wc  know,  to  "  Simon  the  tan- 


BIBLE    WOEK    IN   BIBLE   LANDS.  169 

ner."  The  inclination  of  the  people  was  such  as  would 
evidently  have  led  them  to  assemble  in  greater  numbers 
had  not  priestly  jealousy  laid  the  meetings  under  the 
ban  of  excommunication. 

At  the  close  of  March  the  brethren  went  on  to  Ramla 
and  Jerusalem.  At  the  former  place  they  were  glad  to 
be  assured  by  the  Greek  superior  that  none  of  the  books 
sold  there  the  year  before  had  been  taken  away,  nor  had 
the  people  suffered  any  annoyance  from  the  sultan's 
firman.  In  going  on  to  Jerusalem  they  fully  expected, 
on  account  of  the  influence  of  the  Latin  friars  in  the 
city,  to  be  received  with  more  than  usual  reserve.  But 
these  men  had  found  themselves  unable  to  make  the 
anti-Bible  edict  accomplish  all  that  was  intended  by  it. 
The  Greeks,  instead  of  being  shy,  were  more  friendly 
than  ever.  Some  of  them,  hearing  of  their  approach, 
came  out  with  lanterns  to  meet  them.  At  the  convent 
they  were  received  by  the  inmates  with  open  arms,  and 
it  was  told  them  that  when  it  was  announced  in  the  city 
that  they  were  expected  prayers  were  offered  up  for 
them  by  the  priests. 

They  had  just  become  quietly  settled  in  their  convent- 
home  when  the  pasha  of  Damascus,  in  his  annual  visita- 
tion for  his  "  tribute  money,"  appeared  with  his  army 
of  three  thousand  men  and  encamped  near  the  western 
gate  of  Jerusalem.  His  arrival  had  always  been,  to 
some  extent,  the  harbinger  of  desolation  and  woe,  since 
no  law  but  his  own  will  limits  his  demands  upon  the 
people,  but  this  year  it  might  be  said  of  his  visit,  with 
special  emphasis,  "  These  be  the  days  of  vengeance." 

The  brethren,  in  their  present  visit,  could  do  but  lit- 
tle in  the  way  of  preaching.  Amid  the  suffering  and  ter- 
ror that  pervaded  the  city  the  people  were  intensely  oc- 

15 


170  BIBLE    WORK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

cupied  with  tlie  question  how  they  should  save  their 
persons  and  their  property.  The  soul  was  little  thought 
of.  Yet  some  few  persons  (on  two  or  three  occasions, 
twenty)  came  together  of  a  Sabbath  to  hear  a  discourse 
from  Mr.  King  in  Arabic,  or  from  his  colleague  in 
Greek,  English,  or  Italian.  At  Mr.  Fisk's  last  dis- 
course he  had  eighteen  hearers,  a  majority  of  whom 
were  Greek  priests. 

The  pasha's  measures  in  making  his  collections  were 
perfectly  tyrannical.  Says  Mr.  King,  ''  The  Greeks  at 
this  time  were  in  great  affliction.  Terror  and  distress 
were  spread  through  the  city.  Last  night  the  pasha 
took  the  superior  of  the  convent  of  Mar  Elee-as,  a 
Greek,  and  gave  him  five  hundred  blows  on  his  feet,  in 
order  to  make  him  confess  that  he  had  concealed  in  his 
convent  the  treasures  of  the  people  of  Bethlehem,  who 
have  all  fled  to  Hebron.  He  also  threatened  to  raze 
the  convent  to  the  ground,  and  to  send  his  soldiers  to 
the  great  Greek  convent  in  Jerusalem  and  take  away 
whatever  was  pleasant  to  his  eyes  in  case  the  priests 
should  not  deliver  to  him  such  a  sum  of  money  before 
the  end  of  the  day. 

"  The  soldiers  have  been  about  the  city  breaking  open 
houses,  taking  men  into  custody,  binding  them,  beating 
thejTi  and  putting  them  in  prison.  This  tliey  do  to 
Greeks,  Armenians,  Roman  Catholics,  and  even  Mus- 
lims, as  well  as  Jews,  so  that  the  whole  city  is  filled  with 
consternation.  The  Greek  Metropolitans  are  under 
guard,  and  soldiers  are  stationed  in  the  principal  con- 
vents. Of  all  the  inhabitants  none  have  so  much  reason 
to  fear  as  the  Greeks.  They  are  poor.  No  pilgrims 
come  now  to  bring  them  relief,  and  their  country  is  at 
war  with  the  Porte.     Their  countenances  are  pale  with 


BIBLE   WORK   IN    BIBLE   LANDS.  171 

terror,  and  I  may  say  that  with  very  few  exceptions 
tliey  are  literally  in  tears.  Our  hearts  sicken  with  the 
cry  of  grief  all  around  us.  Jerusalem  now  weepeth  sore 
in  the  night  and  her  tears  are  on  her  cheeks;  among  all 
her  lovers  she  hath  none  to  comfort  her. 

"  The  soldiers  are  stationed  around  upon  the  wall,  and 
we  hear  at  times,  or  fancy  we  hear,  the  cries  of  those  who 
are  suffering  under  the  hands  of  Turkish  cruelty.  The 
severities  suffered  by  Flavinus,  the  superior  of  the  con- 
vent of  Mar  Elee-as,*  which  were  almost  incredible,  with 
attending  circumstances,  were  thus  told  by  himself: 
'  Two  days  after  the  arrival  of  the  pasha,  one  of  his  soldiers 
came  with  a  Greek  monk  to  the  convent,  and  told  me 
that  the  pasha  wished  to  see  me  to  inquire  what  treasures 
I  had  received  from  the  peasants  of  Bethlehem.  I 
showed  the  soldier  seven  trunks,  and  told  him  those  were 
the  things  of  the  peasants.  I  then  showed  him  my  own 
things,  and  told  him  those  were  mine.  He  then  brought 
me  to  the  pasha,  who  immediately  asked  me  what  things 
I  had  belonging  to  the  peasants,  and  I  told  him  the 
same  that  I  had  told  the  soldier.  The  pasha  replied, 
"  You  infidel,  confess.  The  staff  is  ready  !  Tell  what 
else  youVe  got.'^  I  answered,  "  There  is  nothing.^^  As 
often  as  he  asked  me  what  else  I  had,  I  made  him  the 
same  answer,  and  when  he  threatened  me  with  the  bas- 
tinado, I  replied,  "  Use  the  staff  or  the  sword ;  my  head  is 
at  your  disposal."  The  pasha  then  ordered  them  to  lay 
me  down,  and  they  fastened  my  ankles  between  a  pole 
and  a  cord  twisted  round  it;  two  men  then  lifted  up 
the  pole  on  their  shoulders,  and  ten  others,  five  to  each 
foot,  laid  on  the  blows.  After  a  little  while  the  pasha 
ordered  them  to  stop,  and  said  to  me,  "Is  there  no 
*  This  convent  is  midway  between  Jerusalem  and  Bethlehem. 


172  BIBLE   WORK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

more  ?"  I  answered,  ^^  There  is  none/'  Then  he  order- 
ed the  blows  to  be  applied  again.  This  was  done  three 
times  successively.  Chains  were  then  brought  and  put 
on  my  neck  and  legs,  and  my  arms  were  bound  behind 
me.  After  remaining  a  while  in  this  state,  I  gave  my 
keeper  fifteen  piasters  to  take  the  chains  oiF. 

" '  Afterward  came  the  Tefenkgi  Bashi,  and  tried  to 
make  me  promise  to  pay  eighty  purses,  but  I  told  him  I 
had  none  to  pay.  He  then  brought  a  cord  and  tied  it 
about  my  neck,  as  if  to  strangle  me,  and  tightened  it 
till  my  eyes  seemed  starting  out  of  my  head ;  the  cord 
was  then  removed,  and  the  officer  asked  me  again  if  I 
would  pay,  and  I  again  replied,  ^^  I  have  nothing.^' 
"  Are  you  not  afraid  of  death  ?''  said  he.  '^  Why  should 
I  be  afraid  of  it?"  said  I.  "I  must  die  once,  and 
whether  it  be  to-day  or  to-morrow  it  makes  no  difference.'^ 
The  cord  was  applied  and  tightened  a  second  time,  and 
afterward  again  just  above  my  eyes  and  upon  my  tem- 
ples. After  this  I  remained  there  on  the  open  ground, 
without  food  and  without  sleep,  for  three  days  and  nights, 
when  I  was  taken  up  and  brought  into  the  convent.' " 

The  chief  Greek  convent  was  accustomed  to  pay 
yearly  one  hundred  and  twenty  purses,  and  against  all 
demands  above  this  it  was  protected  by  a  high-sounding 
firman  from  Constantinople ;  but  in  spite  of  sultans  and 
firmans  the  convent  had  to  pay  two  hundred  purses, 
beside  endless  presents  to  the  pasha's  officers  and  ser- 
vants, as  well  as  to  members  of  the  city  government. 
The  bishop  affirmed  that  the  pasha's  visit  had  cost  them 
in  all  not  less  than  about  twenty-five  thousand  dollars. 

The  share  that  fell  to  the  Latins  was  very  nearly  the 
same.  The  Armenians  fled  from  their  convent  to  Heb- 
ron, but  the  governor  of  Jerusalem  sent  a  force  to  bring 


BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS.  173 

them  back,  and  so  they  were  compelled  to  bear,  like 
the  rest,  the  cliastisement  of  which  all  were  partakers. 
Rabbi  Mendel,  chief  among  the  Jews  of  the  city,  was 
seized  and  thrown  into  prison,  under  a  demand  of  thirty 
thousand  piasters.  But  the  rabbi  happened  to  be  a 
European  subject,  and  at  the  order  of  the  Spanish  con- 
sul of  Aleppo,  Mr.  Diirighello,  who  was  then  at  Jeru- 
salem, he  was  released.  This,  however,  did  not  release 
his  people  from  their  share  of  the  inevitable  exaction. , 

Omar  Effendi,  chief  of  the  green-turbaned  Muslims, 
and  Moosa  Beg  (the  same  who  carried  the  missionaries 
to  prison  the  year  before),  were  both  called  upon  for 
large  contributions.  The  former  was  taken  with  the 
pasha  to  Damascus,  the  latter  was  left  in  Jerusalem  iu 
prison  till  he  should  pay  the  debt. 

To  secure  a  contribution  from  Aboo  Goosh,  the  power- 
ful sheikh  of  the  mountains  between  Jerusalem  and 
Jaffa,  the  pasha  obtained  possession  of  his  brother,  Abder 
Rahh-man,  and  sent  him  in  custody  to  Nablus  till  the 
sum  of  thirty-five  purses  should  be  forthcoming  for  his 
ransom.  The  sheikh  was  in  a  rage,  and  declared  that 
he  would  not  'pay  jive  paras,  though  the  whole  country 
should  he  sunk.  He  wrote  to  the  three  great  convents  in- 
sisting that  they  should  take  this  matter  off  his  hands 
and  settle  the  account  with  the  pasha,  or  otherwise  not 
another  pilgrim  should  pass  through  his  mountains, 
either  to  or  from  the  Holy  City.  So  here  was  a  new 
and  unavoidable  item  of  expense  for  these  convents,  al- 
ready so  heavily  drawn  upon. 

The  four  missionaries  (including  Messrs.  Lewis  and 
Dalton)  had  made  up  their  minds  to  leave  Jerusalem 
on  Saturday,  the  30th  of  April,  in  company  with  the 
Spanish  consul  and  three  English   travelers,  but  they 

15  « 


174  BIBLE   WORK   IN    BIBLE   LANDS. 

were  providentially  detained  by  the  failure  of  their 
muleteers  to  bring  their  animals  in  season.  The  pro- 
posed arrangement  between  Aboo  Goosh  and  the  con- 
vents had  not  been  fully  completed,  and  the  metro- 
politan bishops  sent  in  to  the  detained  ones  a  congratu- 
latory message,  saying,  "  Every  hindrance  to  your  going 
to-day  is  for  good."  They  remained,  therefore,  over  the 
Sabbath,  and  the  two  Americans  preached  on  that  day 
their  last  sermons  in  the  holy  city. 

By  Monday  morning  everything  had  been  settled  by 
the  convents;  the  roads  were  pronounced  free.  Aboo 
Goosh  himself  appeared  at  Jerusalem  and  gave  the  mis- 
sionaries a  recommendatory  letter  to  his  brother,  at  his 
mountain  village.  They  set  off  accordingly,  and  at 
evening  found  the  other  travelers  waiting  for  them  at 
Ramleh.  These,  by  commencing  their  journey  a  day 
too  soon,  had  found  themselves  subject  to  new  imposi- 
tions on  their  way,  costing  them  about  twenty  dollars 
each. 

The  next  day  they  all  started  again  on  their  journey, 
but  instead  of  passing  on  to  Jaffa,  as  is  common,  they, 
with  the  exception  of  the  consul,  took  a  direction  north- 
ward, passing  by  Lydda,  the  city  of  .^neas  the  para- 
lytic, and  making  for  Nazareth  through  the  interior. 
The  second  evening  they  encamped  at  Ain  Lejjoon,  a 
place  which,  like  "  the  way  which  goeth  down  to  Jeri- 
cho," had  been  somewhat  noted  for  its  inhospitalities. 
The  adventures  of  the  night  and  of  the  following  day 
are  thus  described  by  Mr.  King : 

"  After  pitching  our  tents  in  the  centre  of  the  khan 
an  old  Egyptian  Arab  came  and  sat  down  by  us,  and 
told  us  that  we  were  in  a  bad  neighborhood  and  that  we 
must  be  on  our  guard  through  the  night  if  we  wished  to 


BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  175 

keep  our  things  from  being  stolen.  This  caution  he  re- 
peated two  or  three  times.  Before  retiring  to  rest  I 
proposed  that  a  watch  should  be  kept  by  some  of  our 
servants,  as  I  supposed,  not  only  from  what  the  old 
Egyptian  had  told  us,  but  from  what  I  had  heard  pre- 
viously, that  the  place  was  rather  dangerous.  A  servant 
of  Mr.  Lewis  was  one  of  the  first  appointed  to  keep 
watch,  and  when  we  lay  down  to  sleep  he  took  his  sta- 
tion in  an  old  tower  which  rose  a  little  above  the  wall 
of  the  khan. 

*^  Being  much  fatigued  I  soon  fell  into  a  sound  sleep, 
but  about  one  o'clock  we  were  all  suddenly  awakened 
by  a  terrible  outcry  and  the  firing  of  guns.  From  the 
noise  I  supposed  we  were  attacked  by  a  band  of  robbers, 
and  that  they  and  our  servants  and  the  muleteers  were 
perhaps  actually  killing  each  other. 

"  Some  sprang  up  in  a  fright,  crying  out  that  we  were 
attacked.  One,  as  he  started  out  of  his  sleep,  not  know- 
ing what  he  did,  got  hold  of  his  pillow  instead  of  his 
pistol  under  it;  others  seized  their  arms;  all  were  in 
confusion.  When  the  noise  had  a  little  abated  we 
learned  that  a  trunk  of  Mr.  Lewis  had  been  stolen  by  a 
couple  of  Arabs.  The  alarm  had  been  given  by  a  mule. 
Ali,  one  of  our  muleteers,  had  tied  the  mule  to  his  leg, 
so  that  he  might  be  awakened  in  case  any  one  should 
attempt  to  steal  his  animal.  The  mule,  being  disturbed 
by  the  thieves,  gave  a  sudden  jerk,  which  awakened  his 
master  just  in  time  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  them  as  they 
left  the  khan.  He  set  up  the  cry  of  'Kobbers!'  but 
could  not  follow  them,  being  tied  to  his  mule.  When 
the  morning  came  we  agreed  to  go  in  search  of  the 
trunk.  Presently  three  Arabs  came  to  look  at  us,  and 
some  of  our  party  seized  upon  them  and  bound  them 


176  BIBLE   WORK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

with  cords.  I  remonstrated  and  said,  ^I  can  have 
nothing  to  do  with  such  proceedings.'  These  men  were 
afterward  released,  and  two  others  who  were  suspected 
were  seized  at  a  neighboring  mill  and  brought  in  with 
their  hands  tied  behind  them.  They  were  fastened  to 
each  other  by  ropes  about  their  necks  and  led  off  before 
the  caravan. 

"As  we  left  the  khan  and  passed  over  the  stream, 
which  I  call  a  branch  of  the  river  Kishon,  the  two 
Arabs  who  walked  bound  before  us  made  signs  and 
called  out  to  three  or  four  men  that  were  sitting  down 
near  the  village,  and  in  a  minute  or  two  after  I  heard 
those  other  men  calling  as  if  to  some  person  or  persons 
at  a  distance.  In  the  land  of  the  Philistines,  as  we 
came  from  Egypt,  I  had  seen  the  Arabs  spring  up  like 
grasshoppers,  where  at  first  only  two  or  three  were 
visible,  and  I  felt  very  sensibly  that  our  present  situa- 
tion was  dangerous.  So  I  hastened  forward  to  speak  to 
our  friends  who  were  in  the  foremost  part  of  the  kojilay 
near  the  two  prisoners,  for  the  company  was  at  this  time 
stretched  along  in  Indian  file,  with  muleteers  and  bag- 
gage in  the  rear.  Our  path  lay  down  the  gentle  de- 
clivity of  one  of  those  hills  which  skirt  the  borders  of 
the  plain  of  Jezreel,  and  on  either  side  of  us  were  high 
weeds  and  grass,  so  that  we  naturally  fell  into  the  posi- 
tion above  mentioned.  On  coming  up  to  the  prisoners 
I  said  to  our  leader,  '  You  had  better  let  these  men  go ; 
you  will  be  in  difficulty ;  the  safest  way  is  to  let  them  go.' 
To  this  I  had  no  reply.  But  the  words  were  scarcely 
out  of  my  mouth  when  an  Arab  came  furiously  riding 
along  by  the  side  of  the  kofila,  then  stopped  suddenly, 
turned  and  set  up  a  loud  cry.  I  then  said,  ^  They  are 
coming,'  and  again  requested  that  the  two  Arabs  should 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  177 

be  liberated.  No  answer  was  given,  but  in  a  moment 
we  saw  a  large  company  of  Arabs  pouring  down  upon 
us,  and  I  then  ordered  a  Muslim  who  was  near  to  me  to 
untie  the  prisoners  and  let  them  go. 

"  At  this  instant  the  dragoman  of  Dr.  B ,  an  Eng- 
lish traveler,  leveled  his  piece  to  shoot  the  Arab  who 
first  came  on  horseback.  I  presumed  that  if  he  fired 
we  should,  in  all  probability,  be  cut  down  by  the  in- 
furiated mob  that  was  coming,  and  I  cried  to  him  not 

to  fire,  and  so  did  Dr.  B .     But  he  did  not  seem  to 

hear,  and  a  Muslim,  one  of  our  company,  ran  up  and 
caught  hold  of  his  gun.  The  Muslim  had  no  sooner 
done  this  than  one  of  the  Arabs  who  was  pursuing  us 
came  up  in  a  most  determined  manner,  and,  running  up 
to  the  prisoners,  with  one  blow  of  his  sword  severed  the 
rope  that  bound  them  together,  then  cut  the  cords  that 
tied  their  hands  and  set  them  at  liberty,  giving  one  of 
them  a  heavy  blow  upon  the  shoulder,  for  what  reason 
I  could  not  understand. 

"  While  this  was  passing  every  part  of  our  kofila  was 
attacked  by  the  Arabs,  who  poured  down  upon  us  like 
a  torrent,  some  on  horses,  some  on  foot,  with  drawn 
swords,  guns  and  heavy  clubs,  at  the  same  time  setting 
up  a  tremendous  yell  like  the  war-whoop  of  the  Ameri- 
can savage.  It  was  no  time  for  parley ;  all  was  con- 
fusion. No  one  knew  what  to  expect,  whether  life  or 
death.  The  latter,  however,  seemed  to  stare  us  full  in 
the  face.  Some  of  our  men  I  saw  falling  from  their 
animals,  and  all  of  us  were  put  in  motion  and  driven 
like  a  flock  of  sheep  before  a  band  of  wolves.  I  was 
unarmed,  and  if  I  had  had  arms  I  should  not  have 
used  them. 

"  The  cry  was  ^  Flee !'  and  we  fled,  or  rather  we  were 


178  BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS. 

forced  on  by  the  Arabs.  They  were  among  us  and 
around  us,  beating  us  with  their  heavy  clubs  and  guns, 
brandishing  their  swords,  riding  by  us  on  their  swift 
horses  and  screaming  like  so  many  furies.  One  of  them 
aimed  a  deadly  blow  at  Mr.  Fisk,  which  providentially 
did  but  just  graze  his  forehead,  knocked  off  his  turban 
and  slightly  touched  his  arm.  Flight  from  the  assailants 
was  impossible.  We  were,  for  the  most  part,  badly 
mounted ;  their  horses  were  fleet  as  the  wind ;  we  had 
twelve  miles  to  go  over  the  plain  ;  we  were  unacquainted 
with  the  road ;  our  pursuers  knew  every  turn. 

"  Our  baggage  was  at  length  cut  off.  There  seemed 
now  to  be  a  little  cessation  of  fury  on  the  part  of  the 
enemy,  and  I  hoped  that,  being  content  with  the  pos- 
session of  our  baggage,  they  would  let  us  go  in  })eace. 
But  in  a  moment  I  saw  them  coming  on  again,  and 
thought  that  probably  all  was  lost,  and  that  having  got 
possession  of  our  baggage  and  yet  were  not  satisfied, 
they  now  intended  to  take  our  lives.  It  was  an  awful 
moment.  I  could  only  say,  ^Heaven  defend  us!'  I 
was  in  front  of  the  kofila  and  a  little  distance  ahead 
when  an  Arab  sheikh  came  flying  up  to  me  on  his  steed, 
with  a  large  club  in  his  hand.  Making  a  halt,  I  ad- 
dressed him,  calling  him,  '  Brother,'  and  said,  '  Do  me 
no  harm.  I  have  not  injured  you.'  I  spoke  to  him 
words  of  peace  and  gentleness.  Upon  this  he  let  down 
his  club  which  he  had  been  brandishing,  halted,  listened 
and  presently  turned  away.  Soon  after  I  saw  him 
driving  back  some  of  our  pursuers,  and  the  cry  of 
'  Ah-man !'  (safety)  was  heard  by  us.  The  baggage, 
too,  to  my  surprise,  was  permitted  to  come  on.  No  life 
was  lost,  and  I  now  presume  it  was  not  the  intention  of 


BIBLE   WORK    IN   BIBLE   LANDS.  179 

the  Arabs  to  kill  us,  for  if  this  had  been  their  design 
there  was  nothing  to  hinder  it. 

"The  attack  was  a  gallant  one,  and  was  made  by 
them  as  if  they  were  fully  resolved  to  carry  their  point 
through  life  or  death,  and  I  have  no  doubt  that,  had 
any  one  of  their  party  fallen  by  our  hands,  it  would 
have  been  the  signal  for  the  slaughter  of  us  all.  I  will 
now  say,  ^  The  Lord  is  my  rock  and  my  fortress  and  my 
deliverer,  my  God,  my  strength,  in  whom  I  will  trust.^  ^' 

At  Nazareth  the  four  Bible  men,  being  forbidden  en- 
tertainment at  the  Latin  convent,  lodged  at  the  house 
of  the  Greek  priest,  and  the  next  day  went  on  a  visit  to 
Tiberias.  "  The  morning  was  fine,"  writes  Mr.  King ; 
"  all  around  me  was  peace  and  stillness,  and  I  could  not 
but  feel  in  my  bosom  emotions  of  gratitude  and  joy.  I 
had  been  for  about  two  months  at  Jerusalem  in  the  midst 
of  sorrow  and  sighing.  I  had  seen  the  tear  of  oppression 
and  heard  the  groans  of  the  bruised,  the  wounded  and 
the  dying;  our  journey  from  thence  was  through  a 
troubled  country,  and  we  had  just  escaped,  as  it  were, 
from  the  jaws  of  death.  This,  I  might  say,  was  the  first 
day  of  peace  I  had  enjoyed  since  the  day  of  my  arrival 
at  Jerusalem."  They  visited  Cana  of  Galilee,  with 
which  Mr.  King  expressed  himself  charmed.  It  is 
called  by  the  natives  Kfer  Kenni.  "  It  is  situated  on 
the  slope  of  a  hill  overlooking  a  most  lovely  plain,  be- 
yond which  the  prospect  is  limited  by  lofty  mountains. 
Its  beautiful  situation,  its  vicinity  to  the  mountains,  its 
excellent  water,  the  character  of  its  inhabitants,  one- 
half  of  them  being  Christians,  and  its  vicinity  to  Acca, 
Tiberias,  Safet  and  Nazareth,  conspire  to  render  it  an 
inviting  place  for  a  missionary  station. 

They  spent  a  Sabbath  at  Safet,  where  they  made  some 


180 


BIBLE   WORK   IN    BIBLE   LANDS. 


visits  among  the  Jews,  and  on  the  subsequent  day,  pass- 
ing through  one  of  the  finest  parts  of  the  country  they 
had  yet  seen,  they  reached  the  little  city  of  Tyre,  from 
which  two  more  days  brought  them  to  Beirut. 

Their  "journeyings  often/'  so  far  as  this  land  was 
concerned,  had  now  come  to  an  end.  Mr.  King,  how- 
ever, after  recruiting  a  little,  went  to  spend  a  short 
season  with  his  old  acquaintances  at  Deir  el  Kommer. 


He  took  with  him  as  teacher  a  very  intelligent  young 
Maronite  named  Assad  Shidiak,  who  had  received  a  fin- 
ished education  at  the  patriarch's  college  of  Ain  Waraka. 
His  theological  knowledge  was  considerable — far  be- 
yond what  was  claimed  by  the  great  majority  even  of 
Maronite  priests.  Mr.  King  found  him  a  most  interest- 
ing companion.  They  were  together  from  morning  till 
night,  and  spent  hours,  almost  every  day,  in  discussing 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  181 

religious  subjects.  The  candor  of  Shidiak  was  uncom- 
mon, as  well  as  his  patience  in  listening  to  the  argu- 
ments of  his  antagonist.  It  was  seen  that  in  his  com- 
position he  had  nothing  of  the  bigot  or  the  fanatic,  and 
their  disputations  always  ended  in  good  nature.  After 
many  earnest  discussions  in  which  Popery  and  Protest- 
antism were  set  hand  to  hand  in  hopeless  contest,  he 
said,  in  a  rather  pleasant  mood,  "  Now  I  am  going  to 
have  this  question  decided  by  lot,  which  is  to  be  pre- 
ferred, the  pope  or  the  Bible  men — the  Protestants. 
I  take  my  Testament,  and,  as  I  open  it  at  random,  the 
first  passage  I  set  my  eye  upon  shall  be  for  the  Protest- 
ants." He  opened  the  book  and  his  eye  fell  upon  Luke 
i.  2,  last  phrase,  ^^  ministei^s  of  the  word.^'  He  was  struck 
with  its  appropriateness.  The  Protestants  make  every- 
thing of  the  WORD.  They  print  it,  they  spread  it  in  all 
languages,  they  preach  from  it,  they  appeal  to  it  to 
prove  all  their  doctrines ;  they  are  called,  therefore, 
Bible  men — men  of  the  word  of  God. 

^'  Now,"  said  he,  "  I  shall  open  for  the  pope."  He 
opened,  and  directing  his  eye,  just  as  before,  on  the  first 
corner  of  the  page,  he  caught  the  word  "  unclean/^  "  the 
unclean  spirit."  Luke  xi.  24.  "  When  he  goes  out  of 
a  man,"  he  returns  with  "seven  others  more  wicked 
than  himself."  He  was  struck  as  with  an  electric  shock. 
He  closed  the  book,  rose  from  his  seat  and  walked  the 
room  in  silence.  The  subject  was  not  again  broached 
that  day. 

It  cannot  be  denied  that  under  the  circumstances  the 
lots  fell  on  two  very  remarkable  passages,  and  the  effect 
on  the  young  man's  mind  was  not  to  be  wondered  at. 
It  was  enough  to  have  impressed  a  mind  trained  among 
a  people  even  less  superstitious  than  his.     He  remem- 

16 


182  BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

bered  cases  in  Scripture  where  divine  decisions  had 
been  received  by  means  of  a  lot  (Acts  i.  26,  etc.).  The 
appeal  he  had  made  was  virtually  an  appeal  to  God,  and 
it  seemed  as  if  God  had  so  received  it  and  given  answers 
too  intelligent  and  apposite  to  be  the  work  of  chance. 
But,  however  clearly  it  might  have  appeared  to  the 
mind  of  Shidiak  that  God  himself  had  spoken  iu  that 
room  and  decided  the  great  question  between  pope  and 
Protestant,  yet  it  soon  appeared  that  the  impression  he 
received  was  not  enduring.  He  was  neither  a  converted 
man  nor  an  antagonist  of  the  pope.  He  still  continued, 
however,  with  Mr.  King  in  the  capacity  of  instructor, 
and  was  very  useful  in  assisting  him  to  prepare  his 
farewell  address  to  his  Syrian  friends. 

Though  the  letter  might  be  read  with  profit  by  other 
religious  denominations,  yet  it  was  composed  ijarticulm^ly 
for  such  acquaintances  of  his  as  belonged  to  the  Papal 
church.  They,  as  was  natural,  had  urged  him  to  acknow- 
ledge the  pope,  and  so  to  become  a  member  of  the  holy 
Catholic  apostoliG  Roman  Church.  He,  in  this  address, 
gives  his  reasons  why  he  cannot  do  this,  quoting  various 
doctrinal  passages  from  the  Scriptures  and  setting  in  their 
immediate  connection  the  doctrines  of  the  pope  contra- 
dicting them.  This  composition  was  put  into  a  neat  style 
of  Arabic  by  Shidiak,  who  then  transcribed  numerous 
copies  to  be  sealed  and  forwarded  to  individuals  designa- 
ted by  Mr.  King.  The  letter  was  afterward  put  into 
general  circulation  as  a  tract,  at  first  in  manuscript  and 
then  in  print.  It  has  since  appeared  also  in  other  lan- 
guages. 

Just  before  the  setting  out  of  Mr.  King  for  Amer- 
ica we  visited,  by  invitation,  the  Shidiak  family  at 
Hadet.     While  there  we  had  also  the  opportunity  of 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  183 

calling  on  the  two  emeers  of  this  village  who  had  tlie 
last  winter  joined  in  the  rebellion  against  the  Emeer 
Besheer,  who  had  punished  them  with  the  loss  of  their 
eyes  and  of  their  tongues. 

The  Emeer  Phares  described  the  process  of  punish- 
ment in  his  case.  He  said  his  eyes  were  pierced  to  the 
depth  of  half  a  finger  with  a  red-hot  iron,  and  his 
tongue  was  sliced  off  twice,  being  held  out  with  a  hook. 
After  the  first  cutting  he  had  cried  out  "  YaaJchi  ^  (O  my 
brother !),  words  which  he  could  easily  pronounce  without 
a  tongue ;  but  they  said,  '^  The  rebel  can  talk  yet ;  we 
must  slice  him  again. '^  And  so  they  did.  Neverthe- 
less both  the  princes  spoke  still  quite  intelligibly. 

The  Emeer  Phares  professed  to  be  a  Christian,  and 
of  the  Maronite  church,  yet  he  conversed  with  freedom 
on  the  subject  of  religion,  confessed  some  of  the  errors 
of  Popery  and  begged  us  to  call  again.  He  even  sent 
the  next  day  to  Beirut  to  invite  Messrs.  Eisk  and  King 
to  come  out  again  and  spend  the  day  with  him.  The 
brother  of  this  man  was  called  Sulman,  and  was  a 
Muslim.  As  Mr.  King  addressed  him,  he  asked,  "  Are 
you  that  Mr.  King,  of  Beirut,  who  lately  wrote  the  let- 
ter on  Popery?"  He  said  the  letter  had  been  read  to  him, 
and  he  thought  it  was  unanswerable.  This  led  to  much 
interesting  conversation  about  the  gospel  way  of  salva- 
tion. He  showed  by  his  talk  that  he  was  a  Muslim, 
but  he  listened  attentively,  as  did  also  his  son,  to  all 
that  was  said  in  behalf  of  Christianity. 


CHAPTER    X. 

Shidiak  and  the  Patriarch — Sickness  and  death  of  Mr.  Fisk — Shi- 
diak  in  custody  of  the  Patriarch — Escapes  by  night — Describes 
in  writing  his  sojourn  with  his  Holiness — Is  visited  by  his  ac- 
quaintances and  relatives — Priest  Girgis  mocks  at  him — He  is  re- 
captured by  the  Patriarch — Plot  against  the  Bible  men — The 
Lord  of  Hosts  breaks  it  up — Attack  of  Greeks  on  the  city — Mr. 
Goodell's  house  plundered  before  his  eyes. 

SHIDIAK,  who  had  been  engaged  with  Mr.  King, 
soon  came  into  our  employ  at  Beirut.  He  produced 
a  letter  which  he  had  quite  lately  received  from  his 
patriarch,  in  which  that  "  faithful  pastor  of  the  Lord's 
flock,''  as  he  styled  himself,  felt  in  duty  bound  to  warn 
him  against  giving  to  us  or  receiving  from  us  any  in- 
struction whatever,  and  said  that  he  had  received  fre- 
quent letters  from  Rome  urging  him  "  by  all  means  and 
in  every  way  to  persecute  those  individuals  so  long  as 
one  of  them  should  remain  in  the  country."  Still  the 
young  sheikh  ventured  on  coming,  and  commenced, 
under  our  direction,  a  small  school  for  the  instruction 
of  Arab  boys  in  Nah-hoo — Arabic  grammar.  But  soon 
this  bold  step  of  his  was  made  known  at  head  quarters, 
and  drew  forth  a  letter  from  Patriarch  Joseph  Peter  so 
threatening  and  violent  that  he  thought  proper,  for  a 
time  at  least,  to  show  it  deference,  and  so  returned  once 
more  to  his  home  in  Hadet.  His  brother  Tannoos  also, 
who  had  been  engaged  for  some  weeks  instructing  Mr. 
risk  and  copying  tracts,  went  with  hira. 

184 


BIBLE    WORK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS.  185 

But  in  less  than  a  month  the  former  was  again  at  his 
post.  This  bold  defiance  of  the  patriarch's  authority 
produced  quite  a  sensation  at  Beirut.  One  evening 
there  came  in  eight  or  ten  of  his  neighboring  acquaint- 
ances, and  among  them  the  active  priest  Girgis,  a  former 
fellow-student  of  Assad's  at  Ain  Waraka,  and  now  a 
spy,  doubtless,  of  the  bishop  and  patriarch.  They  were 
standing  around  him  engaging  him  in  animated  con- 
versation. One  of  them,  by  way  of  expostulation,  in- 
quired of  their  heretical  friend  what  great  plan  he  had 
in  his  mind — what  he  proposed  to  accomplish  by  his 
present  extraordinary  course.  A  short  pause  ensuing. 
Priest  Girgis  felt  constrained  to  make  answer  to  the 
question.  Like  Elihu,  he  was  "full  of  the  matter  and 
ready  to  burst  like  a  new  bottle  of  wine."*  Speaking 
in  a  loud  voice,  he  said,  "  I  can  tell  you  what  he  means 
to  do.  He  means  to  introduce  among  us  a  new  gos- 
pel dispensation.  He  will  bring  us  a  new  holy  Bible, 
accompanied  with  his  own  learned  notes  and  comment- 
aries. We  shall  have  no  more  need  of  the  holy  fathers. 
Gregory,  Chrysostom,  Augustine  and  the  rest  will  all  be 
old-fashioned ;  they'll  stand  for  nothing  before  this  new 
angelic  doctor.  He'll  raise  up  many  that  will  trumpet 
his  praise  and  cry,  '  Who  is  like  unto  this  great  maallemf 
Who  is  able  to  dispute  with  him  ?  Hosanna  to  the  in- 
comparable Assad  ibn  esh  Shidiak,  the  holy  prophet  of 
Hcldet !' " 

All  this,  accompanied  with  due  emphasis  and  gesture, 
brought  forth  a  burst  of  laughter.  Assad  himself  joined 
mildly  in  the  laugh,  sensible,  evidently,  that  the  best 
argument  the  priest  knew  how  to  use  in  the  premises 
was  ridicule. 

*  Job  xxxii.  18,  19. 
16* 


186  BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

In  his  late  short  absence  he  had  had  various  conversa- 
tions with  the  princes  and  others  of  his  village  respect- 
ing the  sentiments  advanced  in  Mr.  King's  letter.  The 
Emeer  Phares  had  previously  had  it  in  mind  to  write 
something  by  way  of  reply  to  it.  ^'  But/'  says  the 
emeer,  "when  King  affirms  that  the  gospel  says  thus 
and  so,  I  cannot  contradict  him,  for  I  do  not  know 
what  the  gospel  does  say.  Pray,  can  you  lend  me  a 
cojiy  of  the  Bible  ?  And  yet  I  fear  the  priests.  What 
will  they  say  to  it?  Will  they  not  excommunicate 
me?" 

On  hearing  this  report  respecting  the  prince,  that  he 
wanted  a  Bible  to  aid  him  in  refuting  the  Bible  (for  Mr. 
King's  arguments  were  all  Bible),  we  took  pains  to  re- 
move his  embarrassment  as  soon  as  possible  by  sending 
him  one,  hoping  that  the  priests,  in  consideration  of  his 
worthy  object,  would  consent  to  make  an  exception  in 
his  case,  and  hoping  also  that  the  book,  being  read  to 
him,  would  prove  a  light  not  only  to  the  blind  prince 
himself,  but  also  to  his  reader.  How  far  the  emeer 
proceeded  in  his  pious  undertaking  we  never  learned. 
The  probability  is  that,  either  from  the  prohibition  of 
the  priests  or  from  the  inherent  difficulties  of  the  task 
itself,  he  did  not  succeed. 

At  this  point  in  our  work  it  pleased  God  to  throw  us 
into  deep  affliction.  We  had  just  lost  one  of  our  two 
elder  brethren,  to  whom  Ave  had  been  wont  to  look  up 
for  counsel,  instruction  and  social  sympathy,  and  now  it 
was  so  ordained  that  we  should  be  deprived  of  the  other. 
Our  endeared  and  venerated  brother  Fisk,  our  earthly 
stay  and  staff,  just  at  the  moment  of  entering  on  his 
course  as  an  efficient  preacher  in  the  native  tongue,  was 
suddenly  cut  down   by  a  malignant  fever,  leaving  the 


BIBLE    WOllK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS.  187 

rest  of  us,  in  our  inexperience  and  conscious  unfitness, 
to  pursue  our  way  alone.* 

The  patriarch  had  abundant  time  to  get  word  of  the 
return  of  Shidiak  to  our  employ,  and  we  were  every  day 
expecting  from  his  hand  a  paper  of  excommunication. 
But  instead  of  this  there  arrived  a  letter  of  benediction 
by  a  special  messenger,  and  he  no  less  a  personage  than 
the  patriarch's  own  brother.  His  Holiness,  two  or  three 
years  ago,  was  chief  instructor  in  the  patriarchal  college 
of  Ain  "VYaraka,  and  the  brightest  scholar  he  had  was 
Assad  Shidiak.  He,  therefore,  knew  the  young  man 
well,  and  how  much  trouble  he  might  cause  him  if  he 
made  him  his  enemy.  He  thought  it  expedient,  evi- 
dently, before  resorting  to  the  extreme  measure  of  ex- 
communication, to  try  the  use  of  gentle  means  still 
longer.  Accordingly,  the  letter  now  sent  by  him  con- 
tained not  only  a  paternal  blessing  on  the  head  of  the 
"  dear  son  Assad,''  but  also  the  promise  of  a  lucrative 
employment.  Moreover,  the  messenger  himself  had 
brought  a  verbal  promise  of  forty  purses  in  money,  if, 
as  was  understood,  that  was  the  amount  which  the  Bible 
men  had  given  to  purchase  his  adhesion  to  them.  Assad 
at  once  assured  Priest  Nicolas  that  he  had  received 
nothing  whatever  on  such  an  account,  and  that  his 
wages  as  instructor  were  far  from  being  extravagant. 
If  Assad  had  been  disposed  to  play  the  villain  at  this 
time,  he  might  have  acknowledged  the  report  to  be 
true,  accepted  the  patriarch's  two  thousand  dollars  and 
gone   back   into   quiet   security   in   the   bosom   of  his 

*  Mr.  Fisk  was  born  in  Shelburne,  Massachusetts,  June  24,  1792, 
graduated  at  Middlebury  College,  Vermont,  in  1814,  and  at  Andover 
in  1818.  He  and  his  associate,  Parsons,  were  college  classmates.  A 
memoir  of  Mr.  Fisk  has  been  published  by  Kev.  Dr.  Alvan  Bond,  of 
Norwich,  Connecticut,  and  one  of  Mr.  Parsons  by  llev.  D.  O.  Morton. 


188  BIBLE   WORK    IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

"  Mother  Church."  But  he  preferred  the  truth  to  the 
money.  Perhaps  it  was  because  the  Lord  had  given 
him  a  new  heart.  Perhaps  it  was  this  which  gave  him 
such  an  entire  equanimity  while  in  hourly  expectation 
of  the  patriarch's  curse.  Possibly  it  was  this  which 
moved  him  to  go  with  Priest  Nicolas  and  put  himself 
in  the  patriarch's  power.  He  believed  that  he  could  do 
the  patriarch  good.  He  had  before  this  expressed  a  de- 
sire to  have  an  interview  with  his  Holiness,  that  he 
might  repel  some  of  the  slanders  he  (the  patriarch)  had 
heard  and  remove  the  suspicions  he  had  conceived 
against  him,  solemnly  assuring  him  that  in  what  he  did 
he  was  acting  not  from  love  of  publicity  or  love  of  gain, 
but  from  honest  conviction  of  the  truth.  Moreover,  he 
hoped  even  to  conciliate  the  patriarch's  good-will  toward 
the  dissemination  of  the  Scriptures  and  the  enlighten- 
ment of  his  nation.  The  rest  of  us  did  not  share  with 
him  in  his  expectations  of  the  good  to  come  from  his  ac- 
cepting the  patriarch's  invitation,  and  strongly  advised 
him  to  refuse  going.  But,  like  Paul  on  his  last  visit  to 
Jerusalem,  he  would  not  be  persuaded,  and  we  ceased, 
saying,  "The  will  of  the  Lord  be  done." 

The  first  news  we  had  of  him  after  his  departure  was 
by  the  following  letter,  which  was  quite  corroborative 
of  the  best  hopes  we  had  formed  of  him  :  "  I  am  now  at 
the  convent  of  Alma,  and,  thanks  to  God !  I  arrived  in 
good  health.  But  as  yet  I  have  not  seen  the  patriarch. 
I  pray  God  the  Father  and  his  only  Son  Jesus  Christ 
our  Lord  that  he  will  establish  me  in  his  love,  that  I 
may  never  exchange  it  for  any  created  thing,  that  neither 
death  nor  life,  nor  things  j^resent  nor  things  to  come, 
nor  height  nor  depth,  nor  riches  nor  honor,  nor  dignity 
nor  office,  nor  anything  in  creation,  shall  separate  me 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  189 

from  this  love.  I  hope  you  will  \way  to  God  for  me, 
and  I  beg  this  not  only  from  yourself,  but  from  all  the 
brethren  and  sisters,  after  giving  them — especially  Mr. 
Goodell — abundant  salutations.'^ 

After  this,  weeks  having  passed  with  no  word  of  ad- 
ditional intelligence,  we  sent  a  trusty  messenger  with  a 
line  to  him.  Happily  the  messenger  found  him  alone, 
and,  after  a  short  conversation,  received  from  him  the 
following  billet : 

"  Your  note  has  reached  me,  and  has  added  another 
proof  to  the  many  I  have  received  of  your  kind  regard 
for  me.  I  now  beseech  you  once  more  to  pray  for  me 
that  I  may  be  delivered  from  the  dark  devices  of  men. 
I  find  myself  reduced  quite  to  an  extremity.  One  or 
more  of  three  things  are  before  me — either  to  be  thought 
mad,  or  to  commit  sin,  or  to  offer  up  my  life.  I  call 
upon  God  for  deliverance.  I  cannot  now  write  fully, 
but  the  bearer  will  tell  you  all.'' 

The  messenger  informed  us  that  the  emeer  of  that  dis- 
trict had  threatened  to  send  him  to  Bteddeen  to  be  put 
in  prison.  Assad  had  replied  to  him  that  he  was  ready 
to  go  to  prison  and  to  death.  He  was  engaged  in  daily 
disputations  with  the  patriarch  and  others.  His  coun- 
tenance wore  a  shade  of  melancholy  and  his  eyes  were 
red  apparently  with  weeping. 

He  was  not  literally  in  prison,  but  was  under  constant 
surveillance,  was  denied  the  privilege  of  society  and  the 
use  of  books,  was  accused  of  being  possessed  of  the  devil 
and  threatened  with  death  by  his  own  bishop  if  he  did 
not  repent.  He  endured  this  kind  of  treatment  for  two 
months  and  then  made  his  escape  in  the  night.  He  rose 
at  twelve  o'clock,  and,  leaving  on  his  couch  a  paper  with 
the  Scripture  quotation,  "  Come  out  of  her,  my  people," 


190  BIBLE   WORK   IN    BIBLE   LANDS. 

etc.,  he  set  off  for  Beirut  on  foot,  committing  himself  to 
God  for  protection  and  strength.  The  darkness  was 
such  that  he  often  found  himself  astray  from  his  path, 
sometimes  stumbling  over  rocks  and  hedges,  sometimes 
wading  in  water  or  miring  in  mud.  After  some  hours 
of  weariness  and  anxiety  he  arrived  at  a  place  on  the 
sea-shore  where  he  found  a  large  boat  thrown  up,  under 
cover  of  which  he  threw  himself  and  gained  a  little  rest ; 
then  addressing  himself  again  to  his  task,  at  about  the 
rising  of  the  sun,  he  was  joyfully  received  at  one  of  the 
mission-houses  at  Beirut. 

Toward  evening  a  Maronite  youth  of  our  acquaintance 
arrived,  who  was  present  in  the  morning  at  Deir  Alma 
when  it  was  first  discovered  that  Assad  had  fled.  The 
startling  intelligence  was  communicated  to  the  patriarch 
and  his  train  when  they  were  chanting  their  matins  in 
the  chapel.  Immediately  they  were  all  in  a  quandary, 
looking  very  blank  at  each  other,  inquiring  what  was  to 
be  done.  One  man  among  them  who  was  friendly  to 
Assad  and  had  spoken  encouragingly  to  him,  telling 
him  he  was  right,  now  came  out  boldly  in  Assad's  de- 
fence. "This,''  said  he,  "is just  what  you  had  reason 
to  expect.  Why  should  not  the  man  leave  you  ?  What 
had  he  here  to  do  ?  What  had  he  here  to  enjoy  ?  Books 
he  had  none,  friendly  society  none,  conversation  against 
religion  abundant,  insults  upon  his  opinions  and  feelings 
abundant.  Why  should  he  not  leave  you  ?"  Others — 
especially  the  great  ones — were  full  of  pity  for  the  "  poor 
maniac,"  and  sent  in  quest  of  him  in  every  direction, 
lest,  perad venture,  he  might  be  found  starving  in  some 
cavern,  or  floating  in  the  sea,  or  dashed  in  pieces  at  the 
bottom  of  some  precipice.* 

*  At  our  request  Sheikh  Assad,  soon  after  his  return,  gave  us  a 


BIBLE   WORK    IN   BIBLE   LANDS.  191 

This  successful  escape  of  Shidiak  from  custody  excited 
a  strong  commotion  in  the  neighborhood.  Yoosef  el 
Khoori,  a  burly  old  constable,  sent  for  him  to  come  and 
see  him,  and  afterward  came  himself  for  an  interview  at 
his  lodgings.  In  the  latter  case  the  English  consul 
happened  to  be  present,  so  that  if  he  had  any  designs 
against  the  fugitive  his  purpose  w'as  thwarted.  He, 
doubtless,  immediately  made  known  his  failure  to  the 
patriarch,  who  had  employed  him,  and  who  next  sent  for 
help  to  his  family  in  Hadet.  Two  of  his  elder  brothers 
and  a  furious  uncle  came,  and  were  closeted  with  him 
for  half  an  hour.  Their  talk  was  loud  and  imperious. 
They  were  three  against  one,  and  seemed  bent  on  gain- 
ing their  point  by  dint  of  superior  noise  and  numbers. 
They  assailed  him  with  rebukes  and  sneers  in  so  harsh 
and  unfeeling  a  manner  that  it  made  one  tremble  to 
hear  them.  To  use  a  phrase  of  the  brother  Tannoos  on 
a  subsequent  occasion,  their  "hearts  were  iron  against 
him."  They  contradicted,  scoifed  at  him,  threatened 
him,  called  him  mad,  under  the  power  of  Satan,  and  so 
on.     Assad  was  not  intimidated  nor  was  he  vanquished, 

narrative  of  this  visit  of  his  to  the  patriarch,  in  writing.  Tlie  docu- 
ment is  too  long  to  be  inserted  here,  but  the  following  incident,  among 
many,  is  worthy  of  special  record:  "The  bishop  and  priest"  (Bishop 
Blabul  and  Priest  Bernandus,  of  Gazeer)  "  then  begged  me,  in  pres- 
ence of  the  patriarch,  to  say  that  my  faith  was  like  that  of  the  Koman 
Catholic  Church.  I  replied  that  I  feared  to  tell  a  fiilsehood  by  de- 
claring that  I  believe  a  thing  while  in  my  reason  I  actually  do  not 
believe  it.  'But,'  said  they,  'the  patriarch  here  will  absolve  you 
from  the  sin  of  the  falsehood.'  I  turned  to  the  patriarch  and  put  the 
question  to  him  whether  he  would  so  absolve  me.  He  answered  that 
he  ivould.  I  replied,  *  What  the  law  of  nature  itself  condemns  it  is 
not  within  the  power  of  any  man  to  make  lawful.' "  Priest  Bernan- 
dus himself,  before  this  document  was  published,  borrowed  a  copy  in 
manuscript  at  Beirut,  read  it  and  testified  to  its  truth.  Papal  priests, 
then,  claim  the  power  to  forgive  sins  in  advance. 


192  BIBLE    WORK    IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

but  he  finally  told  them  he  would  leave  the  English  and 
go  home  as  they  wished,  on  one  condition,  namely,  that 
they  would  obtain  from  the  patriarch  a  written  assur- 
ance, on  the  faith  of  a  Christian,  that  he  would  not 
molest  him — not  abridge  his  liberty  of  speech.  This 
they  would  not  attempt  to  do.  No  man,  they  said, 
could  approach  the  patriarch  with  such  a  proposal.  But 
Assad  was  firm,  and  they  had  to  return  without  their 
prey.  The  brother  Mansoor,  however,  could  not  go 
without  calling  him  to  the  door  and  quietly  but  threat- 
eningly telling  him  that  his  life  would  not  be  safe  if  he 
did  not  submit. 

After  they  were  gone  Assad  walked  the  room  in  deep 
thought  for  some  time,  and  then  betook  himself  to  the 
loft  at  the  end  of  the  room,  where  he  usually  slept,  and 
threw  himself  upon  his  couch,  evidently  in  prayer.  Just 
then  a  knock  was  heard  at  the  door.  It  proved  to  be 
Galeb,  one  of  the  younger  brothers.  He  had  probably 
come  to  the  neighborhood  with  the  rest,  but  chose  not  to 
appear  till  now.  Assad  was  called,  but  making  no  an- 
swer, his  brother  was  conducted  to  the  reception-room, 
where  Assad,  with  a  full  and  heavy  heart,  not  long  after 
made  his  appearance.  The  two  brothers  saluted  each 
other  with  considerable  embarrassment,  and  sat  together 
for  some  time  not  unlike  the  manner  of  Job  and  his 
comforters,  when  "  none  spake  a  word  unto  him,  because 
they  saw  that  his  grief  was  exceeding  great.'^  Assad 
had  had  trial  enough  for  one  day,  and  evidently  wished 
to  be  alone,  and  Galeb,  sympathizing  with  his  sadness, 
after  a  few  unmeaning  remarks,  went  his  way.  He  ap- 
peared again,  however,  the  following  day,  and  spoke 
freely,  and  the  next  day  came  the  youngest  brother, 
Phares,  accompanied    by   the    mother.     All    united    in 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  193 

urging  Assad  to  come  home  with  them  to  Hadet.  But 
to  no  purpose.  Pie  answered  all  their  arguments  and 
remained  steadfast.  To  his  mother  he  said,  ^'  Of  what 
use  would  it  be  that  I  should  go  home  with  you  ?  You 
wish  me  to  go,  you  say,  that  I  may  show  people  that  I 
am  not  mad.  But  you,  who  come  here  and  see  and  con- 
verse with  me,  still  say  I  am  mad.  How  shall  I  con- 
vince others  that  I  am  not  mad  when  my  own  mother, 
who  is  with  me,  believes  that  I  am  so  ?  Or  do  you  im- 
agine that  when  I  get  out  among  you  the  air  of  Hadet 
will  change  my  opinions,  or  induce  me  to  be  silent? 
These  are  vain  expectations.  I  see  nothing  to  be  gained. 
If  I  should  go  forth  among  you  and  tell  people  what  I 
believe,  that  you  are  all  going  astray — that  you  are  wor- 
shiping idols  instead  of  the  living  God — that  I  could 
wish  to  tear  down  every  picture  in  your  churches — that 
the  bread  and  wine  of  the  mass  are  not  Jesus  Christ — that 
the  pope  is  the  Beast  of  the  Revelation,  whose  business 
it  is  to  deceive  the  people  and  destroy  their  souls — by 
all  this  I  should  injure  your  feelings,  enrage  the  people, 
stir  up  the  persecuting  spirit  of  the  emeers,  bishops, 
and  patriarchs,  and  then  come  back  here  just  as  I  am 
now." 

Finally,  to  silence  his  mother's  Importunities  and  put 
an  end  to  the  interview,  he  sat  down  and  wrote  a  paper 
for  her  to  show  to  her  friends,  and  to  whomsoever  it 
might  concern,  in  which  he  declared  his  belief  in  the 
Holy  Trinity — that  Christ  was  God — that  Mary  was 
his  mother — that  he  was  not  a  follower  of  the  English 
— that  his  religion  was  not  from  them,  etc.,  all  which 
she  was  right  glad  to  know,  and,  taking  and  carefully 
folding  the  paper,  went  home  evidently  much  pacified. 

Yoosef  el  Khoori,  the  burly  old  sheikh,  having 
17 


194  BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

failed  to  intimidate  the  refugee;  now,  through  the  medium 
of  one  of  the  priests,  offers  him  his  daughter  in  mar- 
riage. 

In  concert  with  the  rest  the  bishop  of  Beirut,  whose 
ordinary  dwelling  is  high  in  the  mountains,  is  now 
walking  about  the  suburbs  of  Beirut.  Meeting  a  young 
friend  of  ours  one  day  he  took  the  opportunity  to  inquire 
about  his  spiritual  son,  Assad  Shidiak,  asking  why  he 
did  not  go  home  to  his  mother's  house,  and  saying  he 
had  nothing  to  fear  there  any  more  than  in  Beirut. 

Many  other  proofs  existed  of  commotion  in  the  ene- 
my's camp  about  these  days.  There  were  plots  con- 
cocting and  measures  preparing  to  put,  if  possible,  an 
effectual  stop  to  the  spread  of  this  leaven  of  heresy — to 
cut  off  these  '^  false  apostles  "  from  all  residence  in  the 
country — to  unite  all  sects,  including  even  the  Jews  and 
Muslims,  in  a  conspiracy  not  to  rent  them  any  of  their 
houses,  so  that  the  vagabonds  should  be  compelled  either 
to  leave  the  country,  or,  like  Jeremiah's  outcast  sons  of 
Zion,  become  desolate  in  the  streets  and  die  embracing 
dunghills. 

Besides  the  hostile  measures  of  the  Maronites,  a  new 
battery  was  opened  uj^ou  us  by  the  Syrian  Catholic 
bishop  at  Deir  Sharfi.  One  of  our  cooks  who  belonged 
to  his  fold  received  from  him  a  peremptory  order  to 
leave  his  situation  at  once  or  be  excommunicated.  It 
was  a  great  trial  to  the  poor  man,  but  he  could  not  stay. 
To  complete  the  combination  of  influences  for  the 
recovery  of  Assad,  the  patriarch  himself  sends  him,  by 
a  special  messenger,  as  before,  a  letter  couched  in  the 
softest  terms,  expressing  his  continued  paternal  regard, 
gently  reproving  his  distrustful  son  for  leaving  Deir 
Alma  so  abruptly,  as   if  he  had   thought  himself  in 


BIBLE   AVORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS.  195 

danger,  assuring  him  that  there  was  no  real  ground  for 
his  apprehensions,  whatever  he  might  have  thought,  and 
finally  urging  him  to  put  an  end  to  the  prevailing  scan- 
dal by  retiring  from  Beirut  to  his  own  home  in  Hadet. 
There  he  might  remain  in  quiet,  and  no  violence  or  harm 
should  be  offered  him. 

To  this  plausible  and,  as  it  proved,  thoroughly  deceit- 
ful epistle  the  patriarch  had  set  his  own  hand  and  seal. 
Such  a  written  assurance  of  safety  was  nearly  or  quite 
all  that  Assad  had  demanded  in  his  interAdew  with  his 
uncle  and  brothers,  and  for  which  they  had  pretended 
that  no  one  would  dare  apply  to  his  Holiness.  It  as- 
sured Assad's  safety  even  without  the  condition  of  his 
silence.  It  seems  as  if  the  three  delegates,  in  reporting 
to  the  patriarch  the  result  of  their  abortive  mission,  had 
informed  him  of  the  terms  on  which  alone  he  would 
consent  to  leave  his  present  asylum,  and  his  Holiness 
now  accepts  the  terms. 

Assad  was  sensibly  moved  and  encouraged  by  this  in- 
sidious letter,  and  wrote,  as  we  suppose,  a  favorable  reply. 
It  was  one  of  his  weaknesses  that  he  was  too  artless  and 
confiding.  He  had  not  yet  known  the  depths  of  Satan, 
as  they  speak.  He  had  indeed  read  in  the  Appendix  of 
the  Romish  Bible  the  declaration,  "/i5  is  our  duty  to  de- 
stroy heretics/^  and  had  been  astounded  by  it,  and  had 
called  it  a  doctrine  of  Nero ;  but  he  had  probably  never 
read,  in  so  many  words,  the  standing  Romish  maxim, 
that  for  the  good  of  the  Church  ^^It  is  our  duty  to  break 
promises  made  to  heretics/^  though  the  former  of  these 
" duties''  seems  to  involve  the  latter,  for  to  deceive  a 
heretic  is  surely  not  worse  than  killing  him. 

We  supposed  that  the  patriarch,  as  soon  as  he  received 
this  yielding  letter  of  Assad,  sent  it  directly  to  the  fam- 


196  BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

ily  at  Hadet,  enjoining  upon  them  to  hasten  and  bring 
Iiim  to  their  house;  for,  on  the  very  next  day  after  the 
letter  was  written,  a  deputation  of  four  came  for  him, 
among  whom  was  the  youngest  brother,  in  whom  the 
others  knew  that  Assad  much  confided,  and  whose  pres- 
ence they  rightly  judged  would  increase  the  probability 
of  their  success.     Suffice  it  to  say  they  succeeded. 

A  majority  of  us  opposed  his  going.  One  of  our 
number  spoke  against  it  most  earnestly,  and  as  he  was 
departing  took  him  by  the  hand  and  said  solemnly, 
^^  Assad,  I  expect  never  again  to  see  your  face  on  earth.'' 
He  smiled  incredulously  at  these  fears,  made  some  brief 
reply,  gave  us  his  last  spoken  salaam,  made  us  his  last 
bow,  and  we  saw  his  face  no  more.  All  of  us  knew 
there  was  danger  before  him.  He  knew  this  himself. 
But  neither  he  nor  we  imagined  such  a  complication  of 
perils  and  sufferings  as  that  through  which  he  was  des- 
tined to  make  his  way  during  the  rest  of  his  short  life. 

The  patriarch  and  bishop,  with  their  combined  forces, 
had  now,  in  their  warfare  against  the  gospel,  obtained  a 
signal  advantage.  By  one  of  those  stratagems,  or  rather 
by  a  series  of  those  stratagems,  which  are  reckoned  justi- 
fiable in  war,  they  had  succeeded  in  capturing  one  of  the 
most  formidable  champions  of  their  foe.  But  God  had 
determined  that  their  plan  of  operations  for  the  remain- 
ing part  of  the  campaign  should  become  like  the  coun- 
sel of  Ahithophel.  He-  gave  them  other  things  to 
think  of  beside  turning  Bible  men  out  of  doors  and 
banishing  them  from  the  land.  The  bishop,  who  had 
come  down  on  this  business,  suddenly  had  to  betake 
himself  to  a  precipitate  flight,  and  was  glad  to  regain  in 
safety  his  mountain  fastnesses,  while  the  Bible  men  and 
their  families,  instead  of  being  houseless,  found  them- 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  197 

selves  the  only  families  that  had  houses  in  all  the  sub- 
urbs of  Beirut. 

These  sudden  and  unlooked-for  events  were  brought 
about  by  no  human  skill  or  foresight.  To  us  who  were 
on  the  ground  they  seemed  to  be  the  acts  of  a  special 
divine  interposition. 

The  very  day  after  the  departure  of  our  persecuted 
friend,  and,  as  we  loved  to  think,  Christian  brother, 
there  sailed  into  our  harbor,  late  in  the  evening,  three 
or  four  Greek  vessels  of  war.  A  considerable  number 
of  other  ships,  whose  approach  had  been  descried  off  at 
sea,  were  evidently  bearing  toward  the  same  destination. 
The  whole  city  was  panic-struck.  Muslims  were  in 
dread  of  the  enemy  from  without,  and  Christians  of  the 
enemy  from  within,  the  city.  Among  the  Christians, 
every  man — especially  every  prominent  man,  bishop, 
priest,  wealthy  merchant  or  scribe — felt  himself  exposed 
to  violence  or  insult,  and  if  he  could  flee  he  fled. 

At  the  earliest  dawn  in  the  morning  an  irregular  dis- 
charge of  musketry  announced  that  the  expected  attack 
upon  the  town  had  begun.  Some  scores  of  Greeks  had 
been  lauded  from  the  ships,  and  having  taken  a  position 
on  the  eastern  side  of  the  city,  where  the  cannon  of  the 
castles  could  not  harm  them,  seemed  bent  on  making  a 
breach  in  the  walls  with  musket  bullets.  The  attack  was 
perfectly  harmless  except  to  the  assailants,  who  received 
a  few  scattering  but  damaging  shots  through  the  loop- 
holes in  the  city  walls.  As  the  day  drew  on  the  Greeks 
gradually  retired  toward  their  ships,  leaving  some  fifteen 
of  their  comrades  dead  upon  the  field.  During  the  whole 
of  this  mock  attack  the  fleet  remained  quietly  at  anchor 
some  miles  distant.  But,  presently  after,  the  sails  were 
unfurled,  and  thirteen  vessels  were  seen  coming  forward 


198  BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS. 

in  threatening  array  against  the  city.  Three  or  four  of 
the  largest  led  the  van.  These  few  alone  seemed  to 
reach  their  appointed  station  for  the  attack,  and,  with- 
out waiting  for  the  rest  to  come  up,  immediately  began 
pouring  forth  their  broadsides.  The  firing  of  tlie  men- 
of-war  was  most  inaccurate  in  its  range  and  feeble  in  its 
effects.  Some  of  the  balls  passed  whizzing  over  our 
heads  nearly  half  a  mile  off.  Two  were  lodged  in  the 
empty  house  of  the  consul  at  a  similar  distance,  and 
others  fell  scatteringly  around  us  in  the  mulberry  gar- 
dens. In  the  city  a  few  house-walls  were  pierced,  one 
l^oor  Christian  boy  had  both  his  legs  shot  off,  and  half 
a  dozen  other  persons  were  either  killed  or  wounded. 

What  might  have  been  the  result  of  this  attempt  upon 
the  city  in  ordinary  circumstances  it  is  impossible  to 
say.  The  assailants  might  have  been  willing  to  accept 
a  heavy  contribution  from  the  citizens,  and  so  leave  the 
city  without  actually  entering  it,  or  they  might  have 
taken  possession  and  given  it  over  to  indiscriminate 
plunder  and  slaughter.  But  we  were  saved  from  these 
possible  calamities  by  another  interposition  signally 
providential.  He  who  '^  hath  his  way  in  the  whirlwind 
and  in  the  storm  ^'  came  and  stood  in  the  gap,  and  said 
to  the  Greek,  "Hitherto  shalt  thou  come,  but  no  farther." 
A  thick  black  cloud  which  had  been  gathering  in  the  west 
swept  terribly  over  the  place,  borne  by  a  furious  wind. 
The  whole  Turkish  navy  could  not  have  better  defended 
our  city.  The  ships  became  suddenly  unmanageable 
and  were  seen  scudding  before  the  tempest  back  to  their 
anchorage  ground.  The  cloud  was  "  big  with  mercy." 
Who  can  tell  how  many  lives  it  saved,  how  much  ruin 
and  misery  it  prevented  ?  *^  The  Lord  looked  through 
the  cloud  and  troubled  "  the  Greeks,  "  and  they  said,  Let 


BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  199 

US  flee  from  the  face  of  this  people,  for  the  Lord  fighteth 
for  them  against"  us. 

As  the  land  forces  were  loitering  along  back  toward 
their  vessels  we  improved  the  occasion  to  distribute 
among  them  all  the  Greek  tracts  we  could  muster, 
which  were  received  with  all  civility. 

At  our  houses,  during  the  day  of  the  attack,  all  was 
panic  and  confusion.  Besides  attending  to  the  personal 
Avants  of  the  people  who  fled  to  us  for  protection,  the 
day  was  mostly  spent  in  receiving  and  storing  goods 
brought  by  our  neighbors,  preparatory  to  a  general 
flight  to  the  mountains. 

In  a  day  or  two  it  was  proclaimed  that  an  army  from 
Abdallah  Pasha  was  in  rapid  march  toward  Beirut  for 
its  protection.  The  army  was  composed  of  Muslims  of 
the  coast  and  Bedawin  Arabs  of  the  desert.  Through 
fear  of  this  "  protection  "  the  whole  vicinity  outside  of 
the  city  was  at  once  cleared  of  its  inhabitants.  As  soon 
as  the  army  made  its  appearance  it  was  announced  by 
the  usual  military  signals  of  the  rattle  of  drums  and  the 
booming  of  cannon.  At  the  same  moment  the  large 
flag-ship  of  the  Greek  admiral  was  seen  spreading  her 
white  sails  to  the  wind  and  slowly  moving  from  the 
harbor,  while  the  others,  in  bustling  activity,  were  pre- 
paring to  follow.  The  whole  fleet  soon  disappeared  in 
the  direction  of  Cyprus. 

The  army  saw  the  departing  enemy ;  they  found  the 
hundreds  of  houses  around  the  city  unoccupied ;  what 
better  opportunity  for  pillage  could  be  presented  to  a 
Bedawin  Arab  horde  whose  trade  was  robbery  and 
whose  military  reward  was  plunder?  At  once,  like  the 
Nile  on  arriving  at  the  Delta,  the  army  of  pillagers 
spread  themselves  to  the  right  and  left  and  began  their 


200  BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

work.  Strokes  of  violence,  with  club  and  stone  dashing 
through  doors  and  windows,  were  heard  on  every  side. 
Closets  and  chests  were  smashed  in  pieces  and  their  con- 
tents taken  into  possession  or  strewed  upon  the  floors. 
Even  our  own  houses,  though  the  natives  generally 
feared  the  Franks,  were  not  wholly  secure.  The  house 
of  Mr.  Goodell  was  broken  into  and  pillaged  before  his 
eyes.  His  own  account  of  this  bold  transaction  is  here 
given  in  his  own  words : 

"  Several  parties  of  the  Bedawin  came  in  the  course  of 
the  day  to  our  house,  but  I  told  them  we  were  English 
and  they  went  away.  At  last  some  of  their  more  reso- 
lute and  reckless  ones  came,  and  in  their  strong,  gut- 
tural voices  called  upon  me  to  'iftah  el  bab'  (open  the 
door).  I  told  them  I  should  not  iftah  el  hab ;  that 
they  saw  from  my  dress  I  was  not  a  native ;  that  the 
house  was  English,  and  if  they  broke  it  open  they  did 
it  at  their  peril,  for  the  sultan  would  soon  hear  of  it, 
etc.  They  said  they  knew  neither  English  nor  sultan, 
and  they  fell  to  work  in  good  earnest.  Fine-looking, 
noble  fellows,  those  Arabs  ! — choice,  independent  spirits, 
the  very  lords  of  the  desert,  with  a  voice  like  thunder, 
were  those  Bedawin  Arabs. 

"  I  had  barricaded  the  door  very  strongly  with  stones 
and  wood,  and  they  must  have  been  half  an  hour  in 
cutting  tlieir  way  through.  During  this  time  I  was 
reasoning  with  them  from  a  narrow  window  above,  show- 
ing them  how  they  were  violating  the  most  solemn 
treaties,  and  calling  upon  them  to  desist.  Sometimes 
they  would  stop  a  few  moments  and  listen  to  what  I  had 
to  say,  and  then  return  with  redoubled  ardor  to  their 
work.  One  man  leveled  his  gun  and  threatened  to 
shoot  mc,  and  I  stepped  aside  a  moment  from  the  win- 


ROBBING  THE  HOUSE  OF  DR.  GOODELL,  AT  BEIRUT. 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  203 

dow.  At  last  they  cut  and  split  that  door  to  pieces, 
and  then  rushed  up  like  so  many  tigers  for  their  prey. 
Several  Turks  from  the  city  who  knew  us  came  along 
at  this  time,  and  they  hastened  up  after  them  and  stood 
at  the  door  of  Mrs.  GoodelFs  room  and  did  not  permit 
one  of  them  to  enter  there. 

^'  They  seized  hold  of  boxes,  trunks,  kitchen  utensils, 
everything  that  came  in  their  way,  and  carried  them  off, 
and  I  in  the  mean  time  threw  as  many  articles  as  I 
could  into  Mrs.  GoodelFs  room,  and  some  of  my  things 
I  even  snatched  out  of  their  hands  and  threw  in  there, 
when  any  one  had  laid  hold  of  more  than  he  could 
well  defend  or  carry  away  at  once.  On  this  account 
one  of  them  came  very  coolly  the  next  day  to  claim 
some  tobacco  which  he  said  I  stole  from  him  while  he 
was  engaged  in  the  lawful  work  of  plundering  my  house. 
But  really  it  was  a  false  charge.  He  could  not  prove  it 
and  I  refused  to  pay  him. 

"  Three  times  I  sent  to  the  city  to  the  English  consul, 
informing  him  of  my  situation,  and  three  times  he  sent 
to  the  leader  of  these  troops,  and  three  times  the  old 
sheikh  sent  horsemen  to  protect  me.  But  no  sooner  had 
these  horsemen  left  the  city  than  they  galloped  off  to 
plunder  for  themselves. 

"  At  last,  what  with  my  own  remonstrances  and  those 
of  the  Turks  that  were  present,  together  with  the  assur- 
ance that  complaints  had  already  been  lodged  against 
them,  they  ceased  operations,  begged  pardon  for  what 
they  had  done,  hoped  I  had  not  been  very  much  fright- 
ened  nor  very  much  injured,  took  what  they  had  got 
and  went  off.'' 

At  this  time,  with  the  exception  of  our  OAvn  two 
families,  we  knew  not  of  one  that  was  left  in  all  the 


204  BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

vicinity  outside  the  walls  of  the  city.  We  had,  however, 
a  single  neighbor,  a  French  merchant,  who,  perhaps  un- 
fortunately, had  sent  away  his  family  and  was  keeping 
house  alone.  The  Arabs  entered  his  dwelling,  broke  in 
pieces  most  of  his  trunks  and  furniture,  his  piano  among 
the  rest,  and  took  from  his  person  some  few  hundred 
piasters. 

Monsieur   P had  worked  hard  for  his  money, 

and  was  very  sensibly  touched  by  his  losses.  He  wept 
while  he  related  to  us  the  story  of  the  robbery — how 
the  canaille  ruffians  insulted  him,  took  him  by  the 
throat,  drew  their  daggers  upon  him  and  threatened 
to  take  his  life. 

Having  had  a  rather  discreditable  exhibition  of  what 
kind  of  protection  the  pasha's  troops  were  affording  to 
the  citizens  of  Beirut,  we  concluded  to  have  Mr.  Good- 
elFs  residence  vacated  for  the  present  and  unite  the  two 
families  into  one.  But  our  increased  numbers  did  not 
avail  entirely  to  save  us  from  the  rapacity  of  burglars. 
Twice  our  store-room  below  was  dug  through  by  night 
and  spoils  taken  from  it,  and  at  another  time  we  were 
roused  at  midnight  by  robbers  at  our  very  chamber- 
doors.  These  last,  however,  finding  themselves  dis- 
covered, fled  with  the  greatest  precipitation,  and  neither 
they  nor  any  of  their  kin  gave  us  any  further  molesta- 
tion. 

In  fine,  through  all  this  upheaving,  collision  and 
panic  of  the  people,  we  were  enabled  gratefully  to  say, 
with  the  exception  of  Mr.  Goodell's  temporary  priva- 
tion, that  we  had  suffered  neither  harm  nor  loss.  As 
for  the  bishop  of  Beirut,  his  visions  had  suddenly  ex- 
ploded ;  he  had  early  made  his  exit  to  the  mountains,- 
and  his  fellow-conspirators  were  now  intent  upon  their 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  205 

own  affairs.  The  people  favored  us  as  their  safe-guard, 
and  we  might  probably,  for  a  moderate  compensation,  have 
had  our  choice  among  all  the  houses  of  the  suburbs. 

The  pasha  was  liable  for  the  spoliations  of  his  sol- 
diers in  the  houses  of  Franks.     Monsieur  P made 

application  for  reimbursement,  and  the  pasha  put  him 
oflP,  declaring  that  the  guilty  men  were  not  his,  but  sol- 
diers from  the  mountains.  Mr.  Goodell,  therefore,  pro- 
vided himself  with  a  drawing  of  his  house  and  of  the 
men  who  violated  it,  and  our  friend,  Yacob  Aga,  was 
despatched  by  the  consul  to  claim  remuneration  for  the 
spoiling  of  an  Englishman's  house  by  his  soldiers. 

Yacob  was  ushered  into  the  presence  of  the  pasha  and 
his  courtiers,  with  all  the  ceremony  due  to  a  messenger 
on  important  business  from  the  chief  consul  of  the 
pashalic.  There  he  stood,  a  tall,  upright  figure,  comely 
in  countenance  and  dignified  in  manner,  for  it  was  not 
the  first  time  that  he  had  stood  before  kings.  The  de- 
mand was  made  in  the  name  of  his  Honor  the  Eno^lish 
consul.  The  inventory  of  lost  articles,  with  their  values 
annexed,  was  handed  in  and  examined.  But  his  High- 
ness and  those  about  him  began,  as  was  expected,  to 
demur  and  quibble,  saying  it  was  the  work  of  men  of 
the  neighborhood,  and  not  by  their  trusty  Arab  sol- 
diers. Yacob  assured  them  there  could  be  no  mistake 
about  it,  for  there  were  plenty  of  witnesses  that  could 
testify  who  the  men  were.  But  when  he  saw  them  still 
disposed  to  cavil  and  prolong  the  talk,  he  drew  the  pic- 
ture from  his  bosom  and  said, 

"Dukhl-kom,  Effendom  (I  pray  your  Excellency), 
and  all  you  here  present,  let  me  call  your  attention. 
Just  look!  here  is  the  very  house  just  as  it  was;  you 
see   the  men   at  the  door  beating  and  saying,   ^IJtah! 

18 


206  BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

iftahr  (open!  open!);  you  see  their  striped  beneeshes, 
their  loose  yellow  turbans,  their  blue  sherivals  and  their 
dark  faces.  Look  at  them.  That's  the  sort  of  people 
that  did  this  mischief.  Judge  ye.  Are  they  Beirut  men  ? 
Are  they  mountain  men  ?  And  there  you  see  the  Frank 
himselfstanding  above  and  saying  to  them,  *  Dukhl-kom, 
don't  break  open  my  house.  Allah  ye-tow-wil  aa-mar- 
kom !  (may  God  prolong  your  days !)  this  house  is  Eng- 
lish ;  you're  breaking  the  laws ;  your  pasha  will  punish 
you.' " 

The  pasha  gazed  at  the  picture  with  astonishment. 
He  could  not  dispute  what  kind  of  men  they  were  that 
were  represented  on  the  23aper,  and,  without  stopping  to 
reflect  that  the  drawing  might  be  a  mere  work  of  fancy, 
he  at  once  yielded  his  point,  and,  in  his  mortification, 
fell  to  railing  against  the  man  who  drew  the  picture, 
wishing  to  know  by  what  satanic  art  he  could  have  put 
the  exact  likeness  of  those  men  on  paper — "  how  could 
he  have  caught  their  features  in  the  midst  of  such  a 
bustle?"  He  next  turned  his  tirade  against  the  consul 
who  had  sent  to  get  away  his  money.  ^'  Perhaps  the 
Englisliman  has  never  seen  money.  Let  him  come  here 
and  look  at  my  strong  boxes,  that  he  may  know  what 
money  is.  "Go,  give  him  a  little  of  it,"  said  he  to  his 
sarrdf,  "  Let  him  have  a  little  specimen  to  keep  by 
him,  that  lie  may  know  what  kind  of  a  thing  is  money." 
The  command  was  obeyed.  The  money  was  soon  count- 
ed out,  the  bag  was  brought  forth,  carefully  sealed  up, 
and  delivered  to  the  messenger,  and  on  opening  it  at 
Beirut  it  was  found  to  contain  the  exact  amount  of  the 
bill,  including  five  separate  paras  (fifth  parts  of  a  cent), 
to  make  it  very  precise. 


CHAPTER    XI. 

Phares  Shidiak  driven  from  home — Letters  from  Assad — He  is  taken 
to  the  clutches  of  the  patriarch,  never  again  to  be  free — Additions 
to  our  communion — A  second  Papal  bull — Excommunications — 
Sheikh  Naameh  Lattoof — Two  youths  of  the  Trodd  family — Im- 
prisonment and  trial  of  Tannoos  el  Haddad — Mr.  Smith's  arrival 
— Priest  Girgis — Bishop  Zachariah  friendly — Bishop  Gerasimus 
and  the  schools. 

THE  day  after  the  plundering  of  the  suburbs  Phares 
Shidiak  came  to  us  with  the  following  account  of 
himself:  "Yesterday  morning,  as  I  was  in  my  room 
reading  the  New  Testament,  my  brother  Mansoor  enter- 
ed, and,  drawing  a  sword  that  he  had,  struck  me  on  the 
neck.  I  continued  with  the  book  in  my  hand  till  some 
one  snatched  it  from  me.  Mansoor  afterward  drew  up  his 
musket,  threatening  to  shoot  me,  but  my  mother  inter- 
posed and  prevented  him.  My  brother  Tannoos,  hear- 
ing a  bustle,  came  in  with  a  cane,  and,  without  stopping 
to  inquire,  began  cudgeling  me,  calling  out,  ^  Will  you 
leave  off  your  heresy  and  go  to  church  like  other  people, 
or  not?'  Mansoor,  not  finding  Assad  in  the  house,  as 
he  expected,  went  to  Assad's  chest  which  stood  near  me, 
seized  all  the  books  he  had  received  from  you — Hebrew, 
Syriac,  Italian  and  Arabic — tore  them  one  after  another 
in  pieces  and  strewed  them  on  the  floor.  I  left  the  house 
and  came  down  near  to  where  the  soldiers  of  the  emeer 
are  encamped,  and  passed  the  night  there  in  company 
with  my  brother  Galeb ;  this  morning  he  returned  home, 

207 


208  BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

and  I,  without  his  knowledge^  came  here,  fully  deter- 
mined never  to  go  home  again.  And  now  I  will  go  to 
some  place,  either  in  this  country  or  some  other,  where 
I  can  enjoy  my  liberty." 

Phares  seemed  resolute  In  his  determination  to  with- 
stand the  pressure  put  upon  him,  but  his  family  friends 
called  repeatedly  to  see  him,  and,  partly  by  flattery  and 
partly  by  force,  took  him  home  again. 

We  waited  three  days  more  without  hearing  any- 
thing additional  from  Hadet,  and,  being  solicitous  to 
know  what  further  might  have  happened  to  Assad,  we 
sent  a  special  messenger  to  inquire,  who  brought  us  this 
letter  from  his  own  hands : 

"  You  ask  respecting  my  health.  I  answer,  I  am  in 
a  state  of  anxiety,  but  not  like  that  in  which  I  was  some 
days  ago.  On  Thursday  last,  on  returning  from  a  visit 
to  the  Emeer  Sulman,  I  found  upon  the  floor  the  rem- 
nants of  the  holy  Scriptures,  torn  in  pieces,  as  there  is 
reason  to  believe,  by  order  of  the  bishop.  When  I  was 
told  that  my  brother  Mansoor  had  done  this,  I  returned 
to  the  emeer  and  informed  him  of  the  afikir.  He  sent 
to  call  Mansoor,  while  I  returned  to  the  house.  I  now 
learned  that  my  brother  Phares  had  gone  off:  After 
searching  for  him  for  some  time  I  went  down  to  the  Inn 
in  quest  of  him,  but  he  was  not  to  be  found.  As  I  was 
on  my  way  returning  from  the  inn  I  prayed  to  God  that 
he  would  take  everything  from  me  if  necessary,  only 
letting  faith  and  love  to  him  remain  in  my  heart.  As  I 
went  on  a  man  came  up  and  gave  me  information  that 
all  the  consuls  at  Beirut  were  slain  and  that  you  also 
were  slain  with  them.  The  report  came  from  a  man  who 
said  he  had  deposited  goods  with  you  for  safety.  I  ask- 
ed the  man  if  it  was  really  true,  and  he  reaffirmed  that 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  209 

it  was.  Ask  me  not  what  was  the  state  of  my  feelings 
at  that  moment. 

"  On  reaching  home  I  heard  this  terrible  news  con- 
firmed, and  at  the  same  time  looking  out  and  seeing  the 
heap  of  ashes  near  the  house,  all  that  remained  of  the 
eleven  copies  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  that  had  been  de- 
stroyed, I  burst  into  tears  and  committed  all  my  con- 
cerns into  the  hands  of  God,  saying,  ^  The  Lord  gave, 
and  the  Lord  hath  taken  away ;  blessed  be  the  name  of 
the  Lord,'  and  so  I  prayed  on  with  tears  and  groanings 
which  I  cannot  describe.  I  afterward  heard  that  Phares 
was  probably  in  the  neighborhood,  and  I  set  off  again 
in  search  of  him,  by  night,  but  found  him  not.  When 
I  heard  the  news  of  your  death  confirmed  I  sent  off  a 
messenger  for  him,  that  wherever  he  might  be  found, 
he  might  be  induced  to  return,  and  when  I  received  his 
letter  informing  me  that  he  had  gone  to  your  house  I 
yet  could  not  believe  that  the  former  report  concerning 
you  was  false. 

"  But  when  the  truth  on  this  subject  began  to  appear, 
then  I  heard,  by  a  person  who  came  to  me  yesterday 
evening,  that  the  patriarch  and  the  Emeer  Besheer  had 
made  an  agreement  to  put  me  to  death,  and  that  they 
had  sent  a  man  to  lie  in  wait  for  me  for  that  purpose.  I 
was  afterward  told,  by  another  person,  that  some  of  the 
servants  of  the  emeer  were  appointed  to  accomplish  this 
end. 

''  Here  I  am,  then,  in  a  sort  of  custody,  enemies  with- 
in and  enemies  without.  One  of  my  brothers,  the  other 
day,  advised  me  to  surrender  myself  unconditionally  to 
the  mercy  of  the  bishop,  whereupon  I  wrote  the  bishop 
a  letter  (a  copy  of  which  I  here  enclose)  and  gave  it  to 
my  brother   Tannoos,   begging   him  to   take   it  to   the 

18* 


210  BIBLE    WORK    IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

bishop  and  bring  me  his  reply.  Tannoos  read  the  let- 
ter, and  without  saying  a  word  threw  it  down  in  con- 
tempt. I  then  gave  it  to  my  uncle  with  the  same  re- 
quest, but  as  yet  I  have  had  no  reply.* 

"  All  my  concerns  I  commit  into  the  hands  of  God 
who  created  me.  Through  the  blood  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  I  hope  that  all  my  distresses  will  be  for  the  best.'' 

Thus  closed  the  life  of  liberty  for  this  persecuted  dis- 
ciple. On  the  day  that  the  above  letter  was  written,  or 
the  day  after,  he  was  seized  by  his  relatives  and  con- 
ducted to  the  patriarch.  One  week  after,  Phares  ap- 
peared at  Beirut  direct  from  Deir  Alma,  whither  he  had 
accompanied  the  convoy  having  his  brother  Assad  in 
charge.  On  arriving,  Phares  delivered  us  the  few  fol- 
lowing words,  written  in  Assad's  well-known  hand  :  "If 
you  can  find  a  vessel  setting  oif  for  Malta  in  the  course 
of  four  or  five  days,  send  me  word ;  if  not,  pray  for 
your  brother  Assad." 

This  letter  was  replied  to  by  Phares,  but  the  messen- 
ger was  seized  and  robbed.  The  victim  had  been  effec- 
tually secured  and  all  access  to  him  prevented.  He  was 
soon  taken  to  Canobeen,  a  convent  built  in  the  side  of  a 
high  cliff  of  Lebanon,  most  difficult  of  access,  and  sur- 
rounded on  all  sides  by  an  unmingled  Maronite  popula- 
tion. He  made  attempts  to  escape,  but  was  always  dis- 
covered, brought  back,  beaten,  and  in  every  way  abused, 
till  finally  he  was  walled  up  in  a  narrow  cell,  where,  in 
utter  filth  and  neglect  and  obloquy,  he  languished  three 
years,  and  whether  crushed  by  these  accumulated  suffer- 
ings, or  whether  by  starvation  or  by  poison,  he  at  length 
died. 

*  Tlie  letter  contained  a  strong  argument  against  all  image-wor- 
ship. 


BIBLE   WORK    IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 


211 


A  solemn  and  joyful  day  was  the  first  of  January, 
1827.  It  was  the  day  of  the  general  concert  of  prayer 
for  the  spread  of  the  gospel.  It  was  the  day  of  our 
communion  season  at  Beirut,  and  what  was  more,  it  was 
the  day  of  the  ingathering  of  the  first  fruits  of  our  Syr- 
ian labors. 


MT.  1.EBAMOX,  "WITH  THE  CANOBEEN   CONVENT  IN  THE  MIBDIiE  FOBE- 
GKOXJND. 

We  held  our  meeting  in  one  of  our  largest  upper 
rooms.  The  number  of  the  names  together  was  fifteen ; 
five  missionaries,  including  Mr.  Nicolayson,  six  Arme- 
nians (including  two  wives),  Mrs.  Abbott  and  daughter, 
and  two  young  men,  sons  of  a  mountain  sheikh.  Two 
of  the  Armenians  were  our  Sidon  friends,  Yacob  Aga 
and  priest  Stefan,  the  latter  in  Mr.  GoodelFs  employ. 

Before  this  little  assembly  Mrs.  Abbott  and  the  two 
hopefully  converted  Armenian  ecclesiastics  presented 
themselves  and  made  a  public  profession  of  their  faith 


212  BIBLE    WORK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

in  Christ,  and  entered  into  covenant  with  God  and  with 
the  little  company  of  missionary  believers. 

Mrs.  Abbott  was  born  and  educated  in  Italy,  and 
came  to  Beirut  a  member,  of  course,  of  the  prevailing 
church  of  her  country.  After  the  consul,  on  our  arrival 
at  Beirut,  had  kindly  consented  that  we  should  have 
weekly  preaching  at  his  house,  she  favored  the  meetings 
with  her  regular  attendance,  and  listened  with  evident 
interest  to  the  discourses.  Her  interest  was  seen  to  in- 
crease apace,  and  she  not  only  exhibited  a  marked 
pleasure  in  our  Sabbath-day  exercises,  but  also  began  to 
make  one  of  our  number  at  our  week-day  meetings  for 
prayer  and  conference.  Without  any  impulsive  excite- 
ment, and  before  we  were  prepared  to  recognize  the  hap- 
py event,  it  became  evident  that  she  had  fully  embraced 
the  truth  as  it  is  in  Christ,  and  had  decided  to  cast  in 
her  lot  with  the  Lord's  people.* 

Bishop  Dionysius  Carabet,  who  entered  the  service  of 
the  mission,  was  born  at  Constantinople,  spent  thirty- 
six  years  of  his  life  in  the  Armenian  convent  at  Jeru- 
salem, during  the  last  nine  of  which  he  enjoyed  the 
office  of  bishop  or  archbishop,  and  for  a  long  time  was 
chief  secretary  of  the  establishment.  In  the  year  1824, 
becoming  sick  of  the  superstitions  of  his  church  and 
skeptical  as  to  its  doctrines,  he  left  the  convent  and 
what  property  he  possessed  (which  the  convent  refused 
to  deliver  up  to  him),  and  came  to  Sidon,  intending  to 
proceed  to  Constantinople  and  end  his  days  in  his  native 
city.  At  Sidon,  however,  he  obtained  a  consular  agency 
for  the  kingdom  of  Naples,  but  after  a  short  time  was 
transferred  to  the  employ  of  Mr.  Goodell,  at  Beirut. 

*  Mrs.  Abbott  became  a  widow  in  1834,  and  was  afterward  adopted 
into  the  mission  as  tlie  wife  of  the  Eev.  Dr.  Tliomson. 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  213 

Arclibishop  as  he  was,  lie  used  profane  language  freely, 
and  at  first  appeared  quite  unconscious  that  it  was 
wrong,  but  on  being  admonished  for  it,  he  abandoned 
the  practice.  He  invariably  attended  our  divine  ser- 
vice on  the  Sabbath,  though  it  was  generally  in  English, 
and  appeared  greatly  pleased  with  the  serious  manner 
in  which  it  was  conducted,  the  like  of  whicli  he  was 
pleased  to  say  was  nowhere  else  to  be  found  in  Syria. 

Being  harassed  with  letters  from  his  convent,  inviting, 
beseeching  and  commanding  him  to  return,  he  renounced 
his  monastic  vows,  and  to  cut  oif  all  hope  and  possi- 
bility of  reconciliation  with  his  Church  he  entered  into 
the  married  state. 

So  bold  a  step,  which,  in  fact,  set  at  naught  the  whole 
monastic  system  of  his  Church,  became  matter  of  sur- 
prise and  discussion  throughout  all  Syria.  His  case 
came  up  for  consideration  in  an  Armenian  council  held 
at  Bagdad,  but  it  was  concluded  there  that  nothing 
could  be  done  against  him.  It  is  true,  however,  that  a 
firman  for  his  arrest  was  afterward  obtained  at.  Con- 
stantinople, as  well  as  for  the  arrest  of  his  two  brethren 
who  had  offended  in  the  same  manner,  but  the  order 
was  never  put  in  execution.* 

Gregory  Wortabet,  another  of  our  helpers,  was  born  in 
Boloo,  a  town  in  Bithynia,  in  1798.  He  early  became 
an  orphan  by  the  loss  of  both  his  parents,  and,  looking 
upon  the  world  as  full  of  vanity  and  vexation  of  spirit, 

*  When  the  mission  in  1828  retired  for  a  time  to  Malta,  Bishop 
Carabet  accompanied  it,  and  was  very  useful  in  aiding  Mr.  Goodell 
in  the  printing  of  his  translations.  He  had  hoped  that  after  the 
Russian  war  was  over  he  might  continue  in  Mr.  Goodell's  connection 
at  Constantinople,  but  meeting  at  Smyrna  with  a  deadly  persecution, 
he  fled  and  came  once  more  to  Beirut,  where,  in  1850,  he  died  at  the 
age  of  about  seventy-five  years. 


214  BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS. 

he  was  for  many  years  a  very  serious-minded  and,  in 
his  way,  prayerful  youth,  and  profited  in  his  own  re- 
ligion above  many  his  equals  in  his  own  nation.  Being 
of  this  turn  of  mind,  he  was  noticed  by  the  priesthood, 
was  furnished  with  the  means  of  a  tolerable  education, 
was  sent  to  Jerusalem  and  occupied  for  a  time  the  office 
of  secretary  to  Bishop  Gabriel,  of  that  city.  Here  also 
he  was  ordained  a  wortabet  or  priest.  By  the  wicked- 
ness of  two  of  the  bishops  in  the  convent,  who  hated 
him  for  his  integrity  and  for  the  partiality  of  the  patri- 
arch and  others  toward  him,  his  life  in  Jerusalem  was 
made  wretched,  and  he  accepted  the  appointment  of 
navirag,  or  collector  of  funds  among  the  churches  of 
Cappadocia  and  Bithynia.  He  was  so  well  received  by 
the  people,  so  successful  in  his  occupation  and  so  much 
flattered  and  caressed,  that  his  brain  was  turned.  He 
became  proud  and  vain,  ceased  all  devotional  habits, 
and,  seeing  corruption  everywhere  prevalent  among  the 
priesthood,  he  joined  in  their  abominations  and  became 
an  infidel. 

"  I  sought,''  he  says,  ^^  only  worldly  ease  and  pleasure 
and  honor  and  profit.  Of  what  is  called  the  soul  I  had 
not  one  thought.  I  looked  upon  man  as  the  grass  of 
the  field  that  springs  up  and  flourishes  and  then  dies  for 
ever.  I  violated  my  monastic  vow  October  30,  1825, 
and,  agreeably  to  the  instructions  of  Paul,  took  to  myself 
a  wife.  After  the  lapse  of  several  months,  having  ob- 
tained a  residence  near  the  missionaries  and  being  inti- 
mate with  them  morning  and  evening,  and  indeed  at  all 
times,  I  became  by  degrees  more  inclined  to  read  the 
gospel,  and  began  to  compare  the  missionaries'  works 
and  all  that  was  done  in  their  families  with  their  preach- 
ing and  with  the  precepts  of  the  gospel.     From  day  to 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS.  215 

day  I  read  and  examined  the  word  of  God,  and  I  found 
that  their  actions  were  in  perfect  accordance  with  it,  and 
that  even  the  most  minute  part  of  their  conduct  was 
regulated  by  it.  I  read  the  word  of  God  with  them 
every  day  and  every  night  for  three  months.  We  went 
through  the  whole  New  Testament  from  beginning  to 
end.  A  light  began  to  dawn  upon  me.  I  endeavored 
to  commit  my  soul  to  the  divine  teaching.  I  became 
fully  satisfied  of  the  authenticity  and  inspiration  of  the 
Scriptures.  I  acknowledged  with  my  whole  heart  the 
living  God  to  be  the  Creator  of  the  world  and  to  be 
my  God.''* 

The  influence  of  the  Bible  was  extending  around 
Beirut;  the  members  of  the  Shidiak  family  were  dis- 
pleased with  the  patriarch's  treatment  of  Assad,  and 
some  clamored  for  his  liberation ;  two  sons  of  Sheikh 
Lattoof,  of  Eh-heden,  having  business  with  the  English 
consul,  naturally  accepted,  meantime,  of  an  invitation  to 
board  with  us;  all  these  things  were  a  vexation  of  spirit 
to  the  prelate  of  Canobeen,  who  thereupon  favored  the 
public  with  another  manshoor,  of  which  the  following 
is  the  substance  :  "  To  all  our  beloved  sons  of  the  Ma- 
ronite  nation  :  We  wish  to  inform  you  that,  as  we  before 
issued  a  manshoor  against  certain  Bible  men,  in  which 
we  condemned  their  books  and  commanded  them  to  be 
burned,  and  prohibited  all  persons  from  all  sorts  of  inter- 
course of  a  religious  nature  with  them,  these  impostors, 

*  Wortabet  accompanied  the  other  members  of  the  mission  com- 
pany to  Malta  and  continued  a  short  time  to  render  service  in  the 
printing  of  the  New  Testament  translation,  after  which  he  returned 
and  resided  at  Sidon,  where  he  exhibited  a  remarkable  zeal  for  the 
gospel.  When  our  hopes  of  his  future  usefulness  were  highest  he 
was  suddenly  taken  from  us.  He  died  of  cholera  in  Sidon,  Septem- 
ber 10,  1832. 


216  BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

enemies  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  instructed  by 
their  master,  tliat  hellish  dragon,  who  never — not  even 
for  one  moment — desists  from  waging  war  with  the 
faithful,  are  still  unwearied  in  sowing  the  tares  of  their 
heretical  doctrine.  .  .  .  And  now,  since  we  cannot  re- 
strain ourselves  from  opposing  this  evil,  which  grows 
upon  us  every  day,  .  .  .  we  command  and  ordain,  by 
the  word  of  the  Lord,  which  is  almighty,  that  all  our 
people  separate  themBelves  from  these  Bible  men,  fol- 
lowers of  the  Scrij)tures,  with  a  perfect  separation  as 
to  all  connection  or  commerce  whatever,  religious  or 
worldly,^  etc.,  etc.,  closing  with  the  usual  threats  of  de- 
gradation to  priests  and  of  excommunication  to  laymen 
if  they  disobey. 

The  petty  princes  and  sheikhs  of  the  mountains  were 
now  excited  by  the  priests  to  break  up  our  schools.  The 
ruling  druze  sheikh  at  Shoo-air  began  the  work  by  vio- 
lently threatening  the  teacher  and  compelling  him  to 
resign. 

Next  followed  the  school  at  Mhait-ty  and  that  of 
Kfer  Akkab,  these  being  in  the  Maronite  district.  But 
other  schools  out  of  their  sphere  of  influence — as  at  Tri- 
poli, Tripoli-port,  and  those  in  Merj  Aioon,  Hasbei-ya, 
Rashei-ya,  Deir  Meemas  and  Jedeideh — were  spared  a 
while. 

Priest  Girgis,  of  Beirut,  zealously  co-operated  with 
the  measures  of  his  patriarchal  master.  He  sent  for  our 
Maronite  servant-woman  and  ordered  her  to  leave  our 
service  that  very  week,  under  pain  of  the  greater  ex- 
communication. Her  remonstrances  against  such  hard 
usage  were  earnest  but  unavailing.  ^'  I  am  a  poor 
woman,^^  she  said,  "with  a  blind  husband  and  three 
small  children  on  my  neck,  and  the  times  are  hard; 


BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS.  217 

how  am  I  to  get  along?"  "I  know  nothing  about 
that,"  said  the  priest.  "Such  are  the  orders  of  his 
Blessedness,  and  so  it  must  be."  He  finally  offered  to 
give  her  a  letter  stating  her  case  if  she  would  carry  it  to 
the  patriarch  ;  peradventure  he  might  excuse  her.  But 
a  journey  of  fifty  or  sixty  miles  across  mountains  and 
valleys  seemed  for  her  too  great  a  task,  and  she  did  not 
accept  his  offer.  Mrs.  Dalton's  servant-woman  was  laid 
under  the  same  interdict,  and  both  these  needy  women 
were  thus  forced  from  their  situations. 

In  connection  with  these  events  it  was  given  out  in 
terrorem  that,  on  the  coming  Sabbath,  the  Maronite 
church  would  be  hung  around  with  black,  and  that  the 
priest  by  the  light  of  a  solitary  candle  would  read,  in  a 
tremendous  voice,  an  excommunication  against  all  those, 
by  name,  who  still  continued  to  have  intercourse  with 
the  Protestants.  The  two  Maronite  daughters  spoken  of 
above  would  doubtless  have  shown  still  more  reluctance 
in  leaving  their  places,  with  which  they  had  professed 
themselves  to  be  so  well  satisfied,  but  in  view  of  such  a 
storm  rising  np,  so  lowering  and  so  black,  they  would 
rather  flee  at  a  sacrifice  than  to  face  it.  Something  like 
what  was  threatened  did  actually  come  to  pass,  but  in 
no  such  imposing  form.  Peter  Te-en,  teacher  of  Mr. 
Nicolayson,  in  Safet,  Anton  Adam,  our  translator,  and 
two  or  three  others  were  looking  for  a  share  in  the  tem- 
pest, but  when  it  came  it  burst  alone  on  the  head  of 
l^oor  Peter.  The  youth,  however,  bore  it  right  man- 
fully. All  the  harm  it  did  him  was  that  of  detaining 
him  one  day  longer  at  Beirut  than  he  had  intended,  for 
the  Maronite  muleteer  who  had  agreed  to  set  out  with 
him  the  next  day  for  Safet  broke  his  engagement,  be- 
cause faith  with  heretics  was  not  to  be  kept.     But  Peter 

19 


218  BIBLE   WORK    IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

found  some  Driize  or  Jew  who  had  conscience  enough 
to  keep  his  word,  and  though  he  was  additionally 
threatened  with  an  arrest  from  the  Emeer  Besheer,  yet 
he  went  off  unmolested  in  the  face  of  all  his  enemies. 

Even  our  guest,  Sheikh  Naameh  Lattoof,  thought  it 
not  impossible  that  his  name  might  be  with  others  on 
the  black  list,  for  on  the  day  preceding  the  Sabbath  of 
the  curse  he  was  invited  by  the  ever  vigilant  priest, 
Girgis,  to  an  interview  in  which  he  was  closely  cate- 
chised. 

Like  many  others  in  the  land,  Sheikh  Naameh  seems 
never  to  have  been  a  papist  from  conviction,  but  only  by 
birth  and  tradition.  Sheikh  Lattoof,  the  father,  was 
strongly  inclined  to  the  latitudinarianism  of  the  French, 
with  which  people  he  had  had  much  to  do.  The  son, 
on  having  his  attention  directed  to  the  Scriptural  argu- 
ments of  Protestants,  could  not  contradict  them,  but  was 
almost  persuaded  to  be  a  Protestant.  It  was  this  half- 
persuasion  which  made  him  ready  to  give  short  answers 
to  the  priest's  catechetical  questions.  Not  long  after 
these  events  the  two  young  sheikhs  returned  to  their 
home  in  Zgarta,  near  Tripoli. 

Among  the  subjects  of  special  persecution  at  this  time 
in  Beirut  were  a  lad  named  Assad  Khei^t  and  two 
cousins  of  the  family  of  Trodd.  They  were  all  of  the 
Greek  denomination.  The  first  had  been  our  pupil  for 
years,  and  had  become  so  much  attached  to  us  that  his 
friends  became  alarmed  lest  he  should  leave  his  church. 
He  also  became  alarmed  at  the  threats  uttered  against 
him,  and  ceased  to  visit  us.  Of  the  other  two,  Ferj 
Allah  Trodd  was  a  young  man  of  more  than  twenty 
years,  thoughtful  and  quiet,  not  specially  gifted  in  intel- 
lect, but  respectable  for  his  candor  and  independence. 


BIBLE    VVOHK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  219 

"VVe  were,  however,  most  interested  in  his  cousin  Michael. 
He  was  considerably  younger,  and  much  more  sprightly, 
social  and  communicative.  Their  chief  foe  was  Nicola 
Trodd,  one  of  their  own  household,  as  the  Saviour  had 
taught  them  to  expect.  This  uncle  held  the  office  of 
secular  agent  of  the  Greek  church  of  the  city.  He 
managed  the  church  funds,  and  assumed,  even  in  spiritual 
matters,  a  sort  of  associate  authority  with  the  bishop. 
Uniting  himself  with  his  Maronite  associates  in  fulfilling 
their  ^^  bounden  duty  to  destroy  heretics,^'  he  procured 
and  read  in  the  church  an  address,  as  if  from  the  bishop, 
denouncing  and  threatening  to  punish  all  such  as  should 
continue  to  hold  intercourse  with  the  Protestants. 
Again,  on  the  succeeding  Sabbath,  the  same  ceremony 
was  enacted,  only  with  increased  emphasis  and  acrimony, 
and  in  concert  wdth  a  similar  one  in  the  church  of  the 
Maronites.  Even  previous  to  this  second  denunciation, 
Michael's  father  had  been  so  much  opposed  to  his  course 
that  he  had  threatened  to  disinherit  him  if  he  did  not 
cease  to  come  to  us ;  but  now,  after  this  new,  emphatic 
tirade,  his  feelings  of  paternal  responsibility  for  his  son 
were  kindled  with  new  ardor,  and  he  was  determined  on 
more  compulsory  measures. 

Michael  went  home  that  evening  from  one  of  his  ac- 
customed visits,  and  took  his  usual  seat  at  the  supper- 
table.  AVhile  he  was  in  that  posture  his  father  came  in, 
accompanied  by  his  brother,  the  notorious  Nicola.  Anger 
shot  forth  from  both  their  countenances.  As  they  ap- 
proached toward  Michael  he  fled  from  the  table,  and, 
gaining  an  outer  terrace  of  the  house,  he  leaped  to  the 
earth  and  ran  from  the  ciCy.  He  came  back  to  us 
weary,  hungry  and  naked  (that  is,  in  his  undress),  and 
we  ministered  to  his  wants. 


220  BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

By  all  these  hostile  demonstrations  the  whole  vicinity 
was  in  commotion.  It  was  in  some  of  its  features  like  a 
general  revival  of  religion.  Our  houses  were  thronged 
with  inquirers,  and  we  could  do  little  else  but  converse 
with  the  people  on  the  great  subject  of  salvation  from 
morning  till  night. 

In  spite  of  all  efforts  to  intimidate  our  friend  Ferj 
Allah,  he  continued  with  us  for  a  whole  week,  night 
and  day,  near  the  close  of  which  time  a  communication 
was  sent  him  by  his  furious  uncle.  He  comes  right  to 
the  point  thus  : 

"  What  a  base,  abominable  and  filthy  name  have  you 
gotten  to  yourself!  Time  will  never  remove  the  stain. 
You  rest  under  the  power  of  our  excommunication. 
You  have  put  yourself  on  the  ground  of  disobedience  to 
the  ecclesiastical  authorities  as  well  as  to  the  orders  of  our 
lord  the  sultan  (the  most  high  and  most  merciful  God 
assist  him  !),  and  have  made  yourself  the  common  talk 
of  the  whole  town.  David  in  his  time  said,  *  Deliver 
me  from  disgrace,'  but  you  have  gone  abroad  to  seek 
and  buy  it,  and  you  shall  soon  see  the  fruits  of  your 
folly  at  the  hand  of  the  government. 

^'  If  you  return  this  day  we  will  receive  you,  as  says 
the  apostle,  ^Receive  him  who  forsakes  his  infamy,^ 
and  we  will  take  off  the  tax  laid  upon  you.  But  if  you 
do  not  return,  prepare  for  consequences.  The  hand  of 
the  wazeer  (pasha)  is  powerful.  If  you  think  to  be 
protected  by  the  Franks,  remember  what  happened  to 
Ibn  Khlat  and  Ibn  Zreek. 

^'  Moreover,  if  God  has  seen  fit  to  open  the  way  to 
you  to  take  so  corrupt  a  course,  what  have  you  to  do 
with  my  son  Yacob  that  you  should  take  him  with  you 
as  a  waiter?     If  Yacob  connects  himself  with  you  in 


BIBLE   WORK    IX   BIBLE   LANDS.  221 

your  evil  way,  kes-met  Allah!  [a  great  oath]  my  anger 
shall  know  no  bounds.  I'll  annihilate  you  with  an 
utter  destruction,  and  no  repentance  shall  avail  you. 
You  know  who  I  am.'' 

An  immediate  answer  was  requested  by  the  messenger. 
"Tell  the  writer,"  said  Ferj  Allah,  "he  may  expect  au 
answer  within  three  days^ 

The  messenger  informed  Ferj  Allah  that  his  uncle 
had  obtained  authority  from  the  governor  to  hold  all  his 
property  in  custody  until  he  should  return  to  his  good 
standing  in  the  church,  and  that  Michael  also  had  been 
heavily  taxed. 

Tannoos  el  Hadad,  our  honest,  Christian-hearted 
schoolmaster,  was  arrested  and  taken  before  the  gov- 
ernor, who  asked  him  why  he  was  attempting  to  change 
the  religion  of  the  country,  and  without  further  cere- 
mony sent  him  to  the  common  prison.  AVe  informed 
the  consul  of  the  case,  who  immediately  sent  his  drago- 
man with  us  to  see  the  prisoner.  He  was  in  a  narrow, 
dirty  dungeon,  without  air  or  light,  and  fit  only  for  the 
worst  of  criminals.  As  they  had  accused  him  of  no 
crime  but  that  of  corru[)ting  religion,  he  felt  that  he  was 
suffering  for  Christ's  sake  and  was  happy  to  enjoy  the 
honor.  He  prayed  for  his  persecutors,  and  begged  us 
to  quiet  all  the  apprehensions  his  wife  and  mother  might 
feel  respecting  him.  As  we  were  coming  away  we  asked 
tlie  dragoman,  wlio  was  a  papist,  what  he  thouglit  of  the 
imprisonment  of  a  man  so  irreproachable.  His  reply 
was, 

"  Are  not  those  books  forbidden  ?" 

By  this  it  seemed  that  he  as  well  as  the  governor 
knew  the  real  crime  was  the  teaching  of  the  children  to 
read  the  IS'ew  Testament  and  the  Psalms  in  the  school. 

19* 


222  BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

As  this  accusation  was  not  likely  to  injure  the  teacher 
much,  a  new  one  was  afterward  invented  which  it  was 
believed  would  answer  the  purpose  better,  and  when 
AYortabet  was  deputed  by  the  consul  to  demand  the 
prisoner's  release  as  keeper  of  the  English  cemetery,  the 
governor  said  nothing  about  religion  nor  books,  but  the 
man  had  committed  a  heinous  crime  against  morality. 
Wortabet  still  demanded,  in  the  consul's  name,  the 
liberation  of  the  accused  and  the  production  of  the  lad 
who  was  said  to  be  the  accuser.  The  former  demand  was 
granted,  and  an  official  was  despatched  with  Wortabet  to 
open  the  prison  door,  but  about  the  lad  the  governor 
could  not  answer.  In  the  way  as  they  went  whom  should 
they  meet  but  Nicola  Trodd,  whom  the  official  immedi- 
ately hailed  and  asked,  earnestly,  "  Where  is  that  boy  ? 
We  want  the  boy."  The  wakeel  of  the  bishop  was 
greatly  embarrassed.  The  demand  was  repeated.  Nicola 
wished  to  know  what  was  the  matter ;  he  was  very  igno- 
rant. A  few  more  words  passed  between  them,  and  it 
was  proposed  to  look  into  the  subject  "  to-morrow." 

On  hearing  all  this  account  the  consul  was  greatly 
exasperated,  the  more  so  as  he  said  the  same  Trodd  had 
only  the  day  before  brought  an  accusation  to  him  against 
his  own  nephew,  Ferj  Allah  Trodd,  which  turned  out 
to  be  totally  false. 

The  morning  came,  and  Mr.  Abbott  invited  Nicola  to 
an  interview.  He  sent  his  brother  in  his  stead.  The 
consul  would  not  see  him,  but  sent  another  message  to 
the  wakeel  demanding  that  he  produce  the  "^o?/."  But 
the  boy  is  gone  to  the  mountains,  and  Nicola  shakes  his 
cloak  and  is  in  utter  ignorance  of  this  whole  matter. 
Messengers  are  next  sent  to  the  governor  to  say  that  a 
man  under  English  protection  having  been  seized  and 


BIBLE    WOKK   IN    BIBLE   LANDS.  223 

imprisoned  under  accusation  of  a  crime,  and  the  examina- 
tion of  the  case  having  been  appointed  for  to-day,  the 
consul  begs  leave  to  say  that  all  on  his  side  are  ready  for 
the  trial.     ^'  Bring  on  the  witnesses T^ 

The  governor,  after  giving  a  few  silly  excuses  and 
seeing  that  he  was  compromised  in  an  affair  of  which  he 
was  utterly  ashamed,  rose  and  cried  out  to  his  scribes 
and  constables, 

"  Up  !  Go  about  your  business !  Clear  away  this 
muddle  forthwith  !  You  that  have  thrown  us  into  this 
swamp  and  mire,  get  us  out  of  it !  Produce  the  6oy, 
whether  above  ground  or  below  ground !  Find  him ! 
bring  him  \'^ 

The  chief  secretary  spoke,  and  said  the  whole  matter 
had  better  be  dropped  and  have  no  further  trouble  about 
it,  but  he  was  told  that  such  a  course  would  not  satisfy 
the  consul.  However,  under  the  circumstances,  the  main 
witness  being  in  the  mountains  twenty  miles  off,  no  trial 
could  be  had  till  another  "to-morrow,''  and  so  Nicola 
had  one  more  lease  to  live  and  breathe  for  twenty-four 
hours,  unconvicted  and  uncondemned  before  any  tribunal 
but  that  of  his  own  conscience. 

The  morrow  came,  and  the  governor  quite  unexpect- 
edly sent  word  that  the  said  boy  was  at  hand  and  the 
trial  might  go  on.  Four  of  our  Protestant  company 
were  appointed  to  attend  the  trial.  The  lad  proved  to 
be  one  that  had  formerly  attended  our  Italian  school. 
Pie  came  forward,  took  a  respectful  posture  before  the 
judge,  and,  without  any  oath  or  ceremony,  commenced 
recounting  his  story  of  the  crime.  When  he  had  finish- 
ed, any  one  was  allowed  to  make  such  remarks  as  he 
chose,  the  judge  meantime  sitting  a  silent  spectator  and 
listener.     Being   cross-questioned,  the   lad  soon   found 


224  BIBLE   WORK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

himself  involved  in  puzzling  contradictions,  and  in  a 
short  time  began  to  refuse  to  answer  questions  at  all. 
The  judge  looked  steadfastly  at  him,  as  if  wondering  at 
his  bold  wickedness,  and  was  heard  to  say,  in  a  low 
voice,  "  Ah,  he's  a  sad  fellow !  he's  an  accursed  rogue ! 
it's  a  plot  of  the  devil." 

When  the  boy  had  thoroughly  finished  his  testimony 
the  mother,  who  had  previously  sought  the  privilege  of 
bearing  testimony  to  corroborate  that  of  her  son,  was  sent 
for.  While  waiting  for  the  mother's  arrival  some  words 
were  addressed  to  the  witness  that  might  work  upon  his 
conscience,  particularly  the  words  of  the  commandment 
about  bearing  false  witness  against  one's  neighbor.  He 
sat  uneasily.  His  eyes  w^andered  about  hurriedly,  and  he 
finally  rose,  and,  kneeling  by  the  ear  of  the  judge,  con- 
fessed to  him  in  a  whisper  the  whole  truth.  His  whole 
testimony  had  been  a  tissue  of  lies.  But  a  certain  man 
had  offered  him  a  reward  if  he  would  go  to  the  governor 
and  enter  such  an  accusation,  and  so  he  did.  The  man 
in  question  was  Nicola  Trodd,  and  the  reward  Avas  to  be 
a  paper  of  recommendation  testifying  to  the  good  charao- 
ter  and  poverty  of  the  bearer  and  requesting  alms  from 
all  good  people.     So  ended  this  attack ! 

On  the  18th  of  February,  1827,  we  were  favored  by 
the  arrival  of  the  Rev.  Eli  Smith,  accompanied  by  the 
English  missionaries,  Gobat,  Kugler  and  Muller,  and  a 
colored  man  from  Abyssinia.  The  four  last  named  were 
destined  for  the  gospel  work  in  Egypt.  Mr.  Gobat  has 
since  become  bishop  of  Jerusalem.  Mr.  Smith,  our 
American  brother,  afterward  so  eminent  for  his  high 
scholarship  and  labors,  had  come  to  cast  in  his  lot  with 
us,  to  aid  us  in  sowing  the  good  seed,  and  to  share  w^ith 
us  in  the  prospective  harvest.    This  new  missionary,  de- 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  225 

siroiis  of  obtaining  a  knowledge  of  the  Arabic  in  the 
most  rapid  way  possible,  engaged  our  schoolmaster,  Tan- 
noos,  to  go  ^vlth  him  and  board  in  a  neighboring  village 
where  he  would  be  obliged  to  speak  the  language  and 
liear  no  other  spoken.  With  this  friendly  man  and,  as 
we  believed,  Christian  brother  at  his  side  for  sympathy 
and  instruction,  and  having  no  interruptions,  his  studies 
were  very  successful.  It  was  well  for  the  missionary 
and  well  for  the  schoolmaster  that  his  school  was  broken 
up ;  for  though  Nicola  could  not  do  this  by  false  accu- 
sation, he  succeeded  in  doing  it  by  opening  a  free  school 
in  the  name  of  the  church  and  persuading  his  neighbors 
to  patronize  it.  These  neighbors,  for  his  zeal  in  behalf 
of  the  church,  overlooked  his  iniquity.  Moreover,  the 
school  went  on  without  expense  to  us,  and  was  taught 
by  an  acquaintance  of  ours  and  a  friend  of  the  Bible 
cause. 

Our  Maronite  woman  returned  to  our  employ,  declar- 
ing that  the  priests  had  broken  their  engagement  to  find 
her  work.  Priest  Girgis  of  course  loaded  her  with  his 
curse  and  excommunication  from  society.  After  some 
time  she  chanced  one  day  to  spy  the  priest  near  the 
house,  and  accosted  him,  as  it  appeared,  in  no  very  civil 
language,  and  there  succeeded  a  war  of  words  such  as 
seldom  happens  between  a  pastor  and  one  of  his  flock. 
To  conclude  the  affray  the  priest  hurried  round  to  our 
door  and  wished  to  see  the  man  of  the  house.  He  was 
invited  to  come  up  and  see  him  at  his  leisure.  But  this 
he  probably  would  not  have  done  even  though  a  vision 
like  that  of  Peter  should  have  taught  him  that  we  were 
neither  "common  nor  unclean."  Finally,  an  opportunity 
was  given  him  for  an  interview  just  at  the  middle  of  our 
out-door  stairway.     He  stood  waiting  at  the  bottom  in 


226  BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

company  with  some  of  the  Maronite  neighbors.  He 
seemed  afraid  to  set  foot  on  our  polluted  stone  steps, 
though  they  were  outside  the  house  and  copiously  washed 
every  few  days  by  the  pure  rain  of  heaven  and  bleached 
in  the  sun.  But  when  he  saw  that  further  condescension 
was  not  to  be  had,  he  wrapped  his  priestly  robes  tight 
about  himself,  and,  summoning  all  his  resolution  to  the 
task,  he  mounted  up  his  half  way,  and  there  we  sat  nearly 
side  by  side.  Scanning  his  new  colloquist  up  and  down 
a  moment,  he  said, 

"  I  am  not  inferior  to  you,  sir,  Ana  kod-dak "  (I  am 
your  equal). 

"  Very  well,  sir ;  please  proceed." 

He  then  spread  out  his  complaints  against  the  woman 
as  being  one  that  had  no  principle  and  no  religion,  going 
about  uttering  insufferable  slanders  against  him,  and 
would  we  harbor  such  a  woman  in  our  family  ? 

"  But  we  have  never  heard  of  these  slanders.  We  must 
have  more  evidence  before  turning  the  woman  out  of 
doors.'' 

He  then  called  upon  the  bystanders  to  testify,  which 
they  did,  saying  they  had  heard  the  woman  cwse  Jiis 
heard  and  call  him  hard  names.  He  was  then  assured 
that  cursing  and  calling  hard  names  were  not  approved 
in  our  house  nor  agreeable  to  us  in  any  shape,  but  that 
such  talk  was  hardly  to  be  called  slander,  and  that, 
moreover,  it  was  not  a  sin  peculiar  to  the  woman. 
Cursing  and  calling  hard  names  was  a  very  fashionable 
weakness  in  the, neighborhood  in  those  days. 

He  began  to  wax  warm  and  to  press  his  case  with 
vehemence,  reproaching  us  with  countenancing  wicked- 
ness in  our  house.  He  finally  said  that  if  nothing  could 
be  done  by  persuasion,  he  would  see  what  could  be  done 


BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  227 

by  force,  and  that  nothing  short  of  a  law-suit  would  sat- 
isfy hira.  Saying  this,  he  rose  and  went  off  with  his 
companions,  muttering  his  resentment. 

On  inquiring  of  the  woman  why  she  had  so  spoken 
against  the  priest,  she  said  she  had  been  much  insulted 
as  she  passed  people  in  the  streets  in  consequence  of  the 
priest's  anathema,  and  so  (as  is  the  custom  of  the  coun- 
try) she  returned  evil  for  evil  and  cursing  for  cursing. 
The  priest  being  the  medium  and  instrument  of  her 
degradation  before  the  people,  she  naturally  vented  her 
outraged  feelings  upon  Mm.  And,  indeed,  in  this  act 
the  woman  had  a  good  deal  to  say  for  herself  The 
priest  threw  the  first  stone.  He  began  the  cursing,  she 
does  but  follow  his  example.  Besides,  he  curses  in  pub- 
lic, she  only  in  private.  He  curses  her  soul,  she  only 
his  heard. 

Our  school  agent,  Yoosef  Lufloofy,  and  his  brother 
Michael,  temporarily  with  us,  were  put  under  excom- 
munication by  the  patriarch  of  the  papal  Greek  church. 
The  former  having  occasion  to  go  into  the  city  saw  all 
his  old  acquaintances  turning  their  backs  upon  him,  and 
one,  more  zealous  than  the  rest,  lifted  up  his  voice  in  the 
words  of  the  68th  Psalm,  ^^  Arise,  O  God,  let  thine  ene- 
mies be  scattered ;  let  them  also  that  hate  thee  flee  be- 
fore thee.''  Yoosef  endeavored  to  make  light  of  all  this, 
though  he  evidently  felt  the  insult  keenly.  He  very 
soon  wrote  to  his  patriarch  on  the  subject,  and  endeav- 
ored to  draw  him  into  a  discussion,  but  his  Holiness 
refused. 

This  movement  against  the  gospel,  concocted  by  the 
Maronite  patriarch,  was  intended  to  enlist  all  the  papal 
interests  in  the  land — patriarchs,  bishops  and  jjriests — 
and  to  enlist  also,  from  the  Greek  community,  as  many 


228  BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

as,  by  intimidation,  flattery  or  purchase,  could  be  in- 
duced to  join  hands  in  the  enterprise.  The  papal  Syrian 
bishop  at  Deir  Sharfi  had  driven  away  our  cook ;  the 
papal  Greek  patriarch  had  struck  at  the  family  of  Luf- 
loofy ;  the  bishop  Benjamin  and  his  wakeel,  Nicola,  were 
subsidized  from  the  Greeks  of  Beirut,  and  Bishop  Ger- 
asimus  from  those  of  Hasbeiya  and  Merj  Aioon.  The 
last  mentioned  lent  his  aid  in  the  enterprise  by  breaking 
up  our  schools  that  remained  in  the  region  of  Mt.  Her- 
mon.  The  only  bishop  that  stood  up  boldly  against 
this  papal  assault  was  Bishop  Zachariah,  residing  at 
Tripoli.  In  visiting  the  schools  at  Tripoli,  Lufloofy 
had  cultivated  a  familiarity  with  him,  and  on  his  hear- 
ing that  Yoosef  had  been  excommunicated,  he  wrote  him 
a  letter,  not  of  condolence,  but  of  congratulation.  The 
bishop  also  wrote  to  the  mission,  enclosing  a  copy  of  a 
letter  to  ^^  his  Blessedness  "  the  Greek  patriarch,  in  which 
he  earnestly  deprecated  the  persecution  of  the  distributors 
of  the  Bible  and  the  closing  of  the  schools. 

Previous  to  the  arrival  of  Bishop  Zachariah-'s  letter  we 
had  sent  a  request  to  the  patriarch,  which  he  answered 
thus : 

"About  the  schools,  we  reply  that  we  had  been  in- 
formed of  their  establishment  and  had  never  forbidden 
them.  But  particularly  of  those  at  Hasbeiya  and  Merj 
Aioon  we  at  first  had  no  knowledge.  Afterward,  when 
disputes  and  divisions  about  them  arose  among  the 
people,  we,  in  order  to  restore  harmony,  wrote  to  them, 
saying,  ^  Have  you  lived  so  many  years  in  the  habit  of 
teaching  your  own  children  at  your  own  expense,  and 
now  do  you  look  to  others  to  instruct  them  as  a  charity? 
What  has  happened  to  you  to  render  such  a  step  neces- 
sary ? — a  step  which  has  introduced  among  you  variance 


BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  229 

and  strife/     Tliis,  and  this  only,  was  the  amount  of  our 
letter  to  them." 

Here  are  two  questions  the  patriarch  asks  about  the 
schools,  but  he  gives  no  order. 

With  regard  to  Bishop  Zachariah's  letter,  the  patriarch 
replies:  "He  begs  us  to  write  a  circular  to  all  our 
people,  exhorting  them  to  receive  these  schools  of  yours.'' 
[In  the  bishop's  copy  to  us  there  is  nothing  about  such 
a  "  circular."]  "  Now  we  acknowledge  the  work  to  be 
one  of  the  greatest  benevolence,  and  one  for  which  we 
render  you  hearty  thanks,  but  to  send  out  a  public  proc- 
lamation to  our  people  to  receive  them  is  a  thing  which, 
through  fear  of  the  late  firman  forbidding  this  work,  we 
cannot  do."  [The  firman  forbade  the  boohs,  not  the 
schoolsJ]  "That  we  should,  however,  actually  foi'bid 
this  work  is  equally  impossible,  since  the  books  yua 
bring,  the  Old  and  New  Testaments  and  the  Psalter,  we 
have  examined  and  pronounce  to  be  such  as  are  univer- 
sally received  among  us,  and  you  will,  for  their  distri- 
bution, have  your  reward.  .  .  . 

"  We  shall  write  hereafter  to  Bishop  Gerasimus,  our 
brother,  to  see  if  there  is  a  prospect  that  the  schools  can 
go  on  among  his  people  without  divisions,  and  if  the 
people  generally  wish  for  them,  let  them  be  continued ; 
there  can  be  no  objection.  .  .  . 

"Please  God,  we  shall  not  be  wanting  in  our  compli- 
ance with  whatever  you  demand.  Let  us  hear  from 
you  often.  Inform  us  in  what  way  we  can  be  service- 
able to  you,  and  may  the  Lord  prolong  your  days.  So 
prays  for  you, 

"  JNIethodius, 

"  Patriarch  of  Antioch  and  all  the  East. 
"  Damascus,  March  27,  1827." 
20 


230  BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS. 

Bishop  Gerasimus  in  announcing  to  ns  the  breaking 
up  of  the  schools  wrote  us  in  these  words :  "  We  have 
to  inform  you  that  there  was  sent  by  the  elders  of  the 
village  and  others,  to  his  Holiness  the  patriarch  of 
Antioch,  a  letter  respecting  the  schools  established  by 
you  among  our  people,  saying  they  wished  to  have  them 
broken  up,  and  there  came  an  answer  from  his  Blessed- 
ness ordering  them  to  be  abolished.  Therefore,  accord- 
ing to  the  order,  we  have  given  instructions  that  the 
school  in  Hasbeiya,  as  well  as  those  in  Merj  Aioon,  shall 
be  discontinued  according  to  the  universcd  wish  J' 

The  "universal  wish  of  the  people ''  was  to  abolish  the 
schools,  yet  the  parents  somehow  would  continue, 
against  their  will,  to  send  their  children  to  them,  and 
there  was  no  means  of  enabling  them  to  act  according 
to  their  universal  wish  but  to  obtain  an  "  order "  from 
the  patriarch,  and  this  "  order  "  is  briefly  comprehended 
in  these  words,  "  Why  do  you  look  to  strangers  for  your 
schools  ?"  "  This,  and  this  only,"  the  patriarch  declares, 
was  his  "  order."  One  would  suppose  they  might  have 
done  according  to  theiv  "universal  wish"  without  it. 
Moreover,  the  "  order  "  was  for  the  village  of  Hasbeiya 
only,  for  there  was  the  only  quarrel  about  the  school. 
Yet,  upon  this  "  order,"  Bishop  Gerasimus  gives  us  to 
understand  he  abolished  also  the  three  other  schools  in 
Merj  Aioon.  To  the  people,  however,  the  bishop,  whose 
letter  was  shown  us,  spoke  of  no  "  order,"  nor  even  of 
any  patriarchal  permission,  to  destroy  the  schools.  He 
spoke  in  this  way  : 

"We  have  searched  into  this  matter  with  all  dili- 
gence and  have  discovered  it  to  be  full  of  deadly  poison, 
for  these  men  are  full  of  heresy  and  vile  infidelity  and 
monstrous  blasphemy  against  the  sacraments,  ceremonies 


BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  231 

and  customs  of  our  religion,  and  the  result  of  this  work 
of  theirs  will  be  future  vexation  and  corruption  to  no 
small  extent,  and  we  fear  lest  the  dragon  should  corrupt 
your  thoughts  and  lest  the  evil  serpent  should  infuse  his 
mortal  poison.  We  are  bound,  therefore,  to  put  a  total 
and  final  stop  to  these  schools,  for  what  concord  hath 
Christ  with  Belial,  or  what  part  hath  he  that  believeth 
with  an  infidel?'^ 

After  all,  contrary  to  "  the  universal  wish "  and  to 
patriarchal  ^^  orders,'^  and  in  spite  of  all  the  doses  of 
poison,  heresy,  infidelity  and  monstrous  blasphemy 
which  were  attempted  to  be  poured  down  the  throats  of 
these  people  by  the  Bible  men,  they  still  upheld  the 
schools,  until  the  bishop  was  forced  to  come  to  them  in 
person,  and  then  and  there  confess  to  them  that  he  was 
impelled  to  this  course  hy  letters  v^hich  he  had  received^ 
not  from  the  patriarch,  hwi  from  31ansoor  ed  Dahh-dahh, 
Maronite  secretary  of  the  Emeer  Besheer,  whom  he  "dared 
not  disoblige;'^  just  as  Bishop  Zachariah  said  in  his  letter 
to  the  patriarch,  "  it  was  done  solely  to  please  the  Eo- 
manists  of  the  WestJ^ 


CHAPTER    XII. 

Sick  cliild  taken  to  the  mountains — Excommunications — Keraoval 
from  Eh-heden  to  Ba-whyta — Negotiations  with  the  patriarch — 
Slieikh  Girgis,  of  Besherry,  intercedes — Interviews  of  the  sheikhs 
with  his  Holiness — Sheikh  Naameh  exasperated  and  indomitable ; 
the  others  pardoned. 

WE  had  a  sick  infant  that  was  pining  away  danger- 
ously, and  to  save  its  life  a  skillful  foreign  physi- 
cian advised  a  residence  for  a  time  in  a  higher  atmosphere. 
The  young  sheikh  Naameh  Lattoof  was  with  us  at  the 
tune,  and  invited  us  to  his  father's  house  in  Eh-heden. 
No  place  in  the  mountains  could  have  been  oflPered  more 
favorable  for  the  health  of  the  child.  We  obtained  a 
paper  from  the  Eraeer  Besheer  to  the  Emeer  Ameen, 
his  son,  who  had  command  over  the  district  of  the  Gib- 
beh,  where  Eh-heden  was  situated.  It  was  an  order  for 
our  safety  and  respectful  treatment.  Armed  thus  with 
a  safe  conduct  from  the  source  of  all  authority  in  the 
mountains,  we  supposed  we  should  be  safe  anywhere  till 
we  should  have  time  to  present  it  to  the  subordinate 
prince  for  his  more  local  orders. 

The  patriarch  was,  of  course,  kept  well  informed  of 
all  our  movements,  and  no  sooner  had  we  reached  Eh- 
heden  than  the  people  were  summoned  to  the  church  to 
hear  the  patriarchal  excommunication  against  the  family 
of  our  host.  The  document  had  doubtless  been  made 
ready  beforehand  and  was  waiting  our  arrival. 

232 


BIBLE    WORK   IN    BIBLE   LANDS.  233 

After  speaking  of  the  "  infernal  hardihood  which  the 
unliappy  and  wretched  Lattoof  el  Ash-shi  and  his  sons 
had  reached  in  having  dared  to  associate  themselves 
with  the  family  of  a  Bi])le  man/'  and  that,  too,  in  spite 
of  many  warnings,  he  proceeds : 

"We,  therefore,  make  known  to  all  that  those  sons 
of  wickedness,  Lattoof  el  Ash-shi  and  his  sons,  together 
with  all  the  rest  of  the  family,  both  male  and  female, 
have  fallen  under  the  heavier  excommunication,  and 
now  we,  by  the  word  of  the  Lord,  which  is  almighty, 
do  confirm  this  curse  upon  them.  They  are  therefore 
accursed y  cut  off  from  all  Christian  communion;  and  let 
the  curse  envelop  them  as  a  robe  and  spread  thr^ough  all 
their  members  like  oil,  break  them  in  pieces  like  a  patterns 
vessel  and  loither  them  like  the  fig  tree  cursed  by  the  mouth  of 
the  Lord  himself;  let  the  evil  angel  rule  over  them  by  day 
and  by  night,  asleep  and  awake,  and  in  whatever  circum- 
stances they  may  be  found.  We  permit  no  one  to  visit 
them,  or  employ  them,  or  do  them  a  favor,  or  give  them  a 
salutation,  or  converse  with  Hiem  in  any  form  or  manner, 
but  let  them  be  avoided  as  a  putrid  member  and  as  hellish 
dragons.'^ 

He  goes  on  with  a  similar  warning  against  all  com- 
munication with  the  Bible  man  and  his  family,  and 
closes  with  his  patriarchal  "  blessing  on  the  obedient.'' 

We  were  furnished  with  a  copy  of  this  proclamation 
by  the  good  bishop  Stephen  Dwyhee,  of  Eh-heden, 
Bome  ten  days  after  it  was  read  in  the  church. 

A  patriarchal  document  similar  to  the  above,  specially 
intended  for  Lattoof,  was  read  before  his  window  in  his 
hearing.  After  copying  for  our  own  use  the  order  of 
the  Emeer  Besheer  to  his  son  to  ensure  our  protection 
on  the  mountains,   Naameh  set  off  immediately  with 


234  BIBLE   WORK    IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

the  original  to  present  it  to  the  younger  emeer  at  Ge- 
bail. 

The  darkness  of  the  evening  had  scarcely  begun  when 
our  ears  were  suddenly  assailed  with  loud  and  continued 
screams  of  some  females  out  of  doors  in  distress.  The 
servant-girl  came  running  in,  saying  they  were  beating 
the  daughters  of  Lattoof  at  the  oven.  They  had  gone 
out  with  their  mother,  as  usual,  to  prepare  their  bread 
for  the  Sabbath.  The  oven  being  owned  in  common 
by  the  two  sheikhs,  Bootrus  and  Lattoof,  the  former 
l}ad  sent  his  men  to  drive  these  excommunicated  females 
away.  Sheikh  Lattoof  hastened  out  to  see  what  might 
be  done  for  the  protection  of  his  wife  and  daughters,  and 
was  followed  by  the  sheikh's  mother-in-law.  He  was 
met  by  one  of  the  bullies  of  Bootrus,  who  brought  him 
to  the  ground  by  a  blow  of  his  club.  When  he  had  re- 
covered himself  he  was  seen  standing  apart  from  the 
crowd  that  had  collected,  with  a  violent  man  close  be- 
fore him,  club  in  hand,  threatening  him  furiously  with 
death  if  be  did  not  leave  the  ground.  One  of  the 
daughters  also  came  and  begged  him  to  go  into  the 
house.  At  the  same  time,  in  the  midst  of  the  idle  crowd 
of  spectators  near  by,  were  seen  the  other  daughter  and 
the  mother  screaming  and  holding  with  all  the-ir  might 
the  club  of  another  bully,  who,  with  his  turban  knocked 
off,  was  wringing  and  twisting  in  vain  to  free  the  weapon 
from  their  hands.  These  three  were  the  only  apparent 
actors  in  the  exhibition. 

The  sheikh  suffered  himself  to  be  led  into  the  house 
and  laid  on  his  bed.  He  had  one  deep  cut  in  his  scalp 
and  two  or  three  others  in  the  scalp  and  face.  While 
those  wounds  were  being  dressed  the  tumult  without 
became  quieted  and  tlie  mother  and  daughters  came  in. 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  237 

The  grandmother  Imd  been  struck  and  seemed  badly 
hurt.  The  mother  had  a  bruised  arm,  about  which, 
however,  she  made  little  ado.  The  young  daughters 
c^me  in  gay  as  larks,  complaining  of  nothing  and  tell- 
ing us  not  to  be  alarmed,  and  that  this  was  a  small  affair 
compared  with  some  which  they  had  experienced  in  their 
intercourse  with  Sheikh  Bootrus.  He  had  sometimes 
fought  against  them  with  sivords  instead  of  clubs.  But 
the  old  lady  took  the  matter  more  seriously.  She  sat 
and  held  her  broken  hand  and  wrist,  and,  recollecting 
that  she  was  once  sole  mistress  of  a  great  share  of  the 
property  now  held  by  Sheikh  Bootrus  and  that  it  had 
been  taken  from  her  illegally,  she  moaned  forth  in  her 
agony, 

"  O  thou  son  of  Yem-meen  !  O  thou  son  of  Yera- 
meen !  Is  it  not  enough  that  you  should  eat  up  my 
property?  Must  you  also  beat  and  bruise  my  poor 
body  at  this  rate  ?     O  thou  son  of  Yem-meen  !" 

It  was  an  unlooked-for  mercy  that  the  young  daugh- 
ters had  escaped  so  nearly  unhurt.  They  had  been  in 
the  thickest  of  the  fight,  and  borne,  with  their  mother, 
the  brunt  of  the  battle.  But  they  told  us  that  the 
howalieSj  the  emeer's  tax-gatherers,  had  been  near  them 
and  shielded  them  from  the  blows  of  Sheikh  Bootrus' 
men.  It  is  probable,  however,  that  they  owed  their 
escape  more  to  their  own  heroic  courage,  for,  to  a  specta- 
tor, they,  as  well  as  the  mother,  seemed  nerved  to  a  bold- 
ness and  strength  quite  beyond  the  capacity  of  such 
feeble  frames. 

The  two  sheikhs  lived  in  opposite  ends  of  the  same 
house,  so  that  the  terraces  of  both  parts  were  on  the 
same  level.  During  the  night  heavy  steps  were  heard 
of  men  coming  from  Sheikh  Bootrus'  pai't  of  the  house 


238  BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

and  walking  over  our  heads.  They  were  evidently 
watchmen,  set  to  prevent  any  persons  passing  to  or  from 
the  house.  Once  they  sent  us  a  stone  of  considerable 
size,  which  came  thundering  down  the  chimney  into  the 
fireplace.  But  they  were  restrained  from  all  further 
violence  by  Him  who  maketh  the  wrath  of  man  to  praise 
him  and  restrains  the  remainder  of  it,  so  that  they  neither 
broke  through  our  terrace  nor  assailed  us  with  any  more 
stones,  nor  with  threats  or  revilings.  Moreover,  our 
little  invalid  boy,  whom  the  mountain  air  had  already 
begun  to  revive,  slept  sweetly. 

The  following  day  being  Sabbath  we  rested  according 
to  the  commandment.  On  Monday  morning  early 
Yoosef  Lattoof  and  the  Bible  man  left  the  village  and 
went  toward  Tripoli.  On  the  way  we  came  to  Ain 
Siba-il,  where  Is-hoc  Turbyhh,  a  friend  and  relative  of 
Lattoof,  dared  to  send  us  a  breakfast  and  inquire  the 
news.  A  daughter  of  his  was  affianced  to  Sheikh 
Naameh,  which  added  to  his  interest  in  our  case.  At 
his  advice  we  spent  the  day  under  a  pear  tree  in  sight 
of  his  house.  He  had  sent  a  messenger  to  Canobeen  to 
negotiate  in  behalf  of  Lattoof  and  the  excommunicants. 
We  waited  for  the  issue.  As  there  came  no  favorable 
news  from  his  Holiness  we  went  for  the  night,  at  Is-hoc's 
advice,  to  the  neighboring  Greek  convent  of  Hantoora  to 
lodge. 

The  next  evening  found  us  in  Tripoli,  where  Sheikh 
Naameh,  after  having  visited  Beirut  as  well  as  the  prince 
at  Gebail  without  succeeding  according  to  his  mind,  met 
us  and  advised  that  we  remove  the  family  from  Eh- 
heden  to  the  neighboring  district  of  Dun-neey,  equally 
favorable  for  its  atmosphere  and  under  Mohammedan 
government. 


BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  239 

We  visited  the  two  brothers  governing  the  district, 
told  them  our  story,  and  their  ready  answer  was,  "  Go 
through  all  our  district,  and  the  village  and  the  house 
you  like  best  are  yours/' 

We  engaged  a  man  to  go  with  us  to  prepare  a  house 
in  the  village  of  Ba-whyta,  and,  moreover,  obtained  an- 
imals and  men  to  remove  the  family  and  goods  from 
Eh-heden  to  Ba-whyta  '^before  to-morrow  night."  We 
had  intimated  to  the  sheikhs  that  they  might  have  diffi- 
culty in  obtaining  the  goods  on  account  of  the  patriarch's 
excommunication.  They  laughed  at  the  suggestion,  and 
seemed  glad  to  show  in  what  contempt  they  held  the 
priestly  tyranny  of  such  a  man.  The  outlawed  families 
had,  in  their  eleven  days'  confinement,  suffered  somewhat 
from  famine,  and  more,  perhaps,  from  fear  and  anxiety. 
But  the  life  of  no  one  had  been  lost,  and  our  infant  had 
suddenly  been  relieved  of  every  threatening  symptom. 

But  to  return  to  the  patriarch.  It  was  to  have  been 
expected  that  when  his  Holiness  should  hear  that  his 
chief  adversary,  the  Bible  follower,  had  fled,  he  would 
be  quieted,  but,  on  the  contrary,  he  seems  to  have  be- 
come, if  possible,  more  bellicose  and  unrelenting  than 
ever,  for  while  the  latter  and  his  young  fellow-fugitive 
are  hastening  out  of  his  way,  he  follows  close  at  their 
heels  with  new  thunderbolts.  Repeating  his  curses  of 
"  the  infernal  Lattoof  and  his  whole  family,"  and  prais- 
ing the  zeal  of  those  who  "drove  the  prowling  w^olves" 
away,  he  exhorts  the  Sheikhs  Daw-hir  to  "persecute 
those  devils"  from  all  places  under  their  authority. 

Sheikh  Solyman  Daw-hir,  one  of  the  men  addressed, 
happened  to  be  a  man  in  sympathy  w4th  the  persons 
thus  heartily  anathematized.  He  w^as  at  Lattoof 's  when 
the  Bible  family  arrived  there,  and  honored  us  with  a 


240  BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

short  call.  He  was  an  eye-witness  of  the  uproar  the 
same  evening  before  the  house  of  the  two  sheikhs,  and 
knew  whether  the  patriarch  had  spoken  the  truth  in 
calling  it  an  uprising  of  the  people  against  the  foreign 
family,  by  which  the  offenders  were  driven  in  a  moment 
like  prowling  wolves  from  the  village.  It  was  from  this 
sheikh's  mouth  at  Gebail  that  Naameh  Lattoof  first 
learned  the  fact  of  the  uproar,  and  said  to  him,  "  Had 
you  been  there,  so  equally  divided  were  the  parties  that 
blood  as  well  as  water  would  have  flowed  down  the 
streets  of  Eh-heden.* 

Our  retirement  from  Eh-heden  did  little  or  nothing 
toward  mitigating  the  severity  of  the  patriarch's  quar- 
antine against  the  family  of  our  host.  The  wife  and 
daughters  of  the  oppressed  sheikh  had  managed  to  walk 
out  to  the  next  village,  Besherry,  and  to  profit  by  an 
interview  with  their  friend  Sheikh  Girgis,  of  that  place, 
who  was  ever  ready  to  lend  them  all  the  aid  in  his 
power.  We  also  occasionally  sent  them  from  Ba-whyta 
some  partial  relief. 

The  patriarch  improved  the  occasion  of  the  first  Sab- 
bath of  our  residence  in  Ba-whyta  to  cause  to  be  pub- 
lished against  us  his  stereotyped  anathema.  But  he 
was  now  attempting  to  operate  beyond  his  limits.  His 
system  of  church  discipline  was  found  to  be  much  less 
adapted  to  Mohammedan  than  to  princely  rule.  His 
spiritual  weapons  of  chain  and  prison  and  quarantine 
were  wanting.  The  proclamation  instead  of  setting  the 
whole  people  off  at  a  speechless  distance  from  us  brought 
them  to  our  door.    Scarcely  a  moment  of  the  day  passed 

*Eli-heden  is  copiously  watered  by  a  mill  stream  running  through 
the  midst  of  it. 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  241 

without  the  presence  of  some  of  the  villagers  immedi- 
ately about  us. 

Sheikh  Girgis,  of  the  neighboring  village  of  Besherry, 
looking  at  the  untoward  events  that  had  passed,  though 
an  undoubted  friend  of  both  the  persecuted  families, 
considered  it  a  hopeless  effort  in  Lattoof  any  longer  to 
withstand  the  power  of  the  patriarch.  He  thought  him 
to  be  like  the  king  with  ten  thousand  going  to  make 
war  with  him  that  cometh  against  him  with  twenty 
thousand.  He  had  better  send  an  embassage  and  desire 
conditions  of  peace.  So  when  Lattoof  wrote  to  him  for 
advice  he  replied  in  the  inflated  style  of  the  country  as 
follows : 

"  Honored  Brother  :  After  saluting  you,  I  have  to 
say  that  your  letters  reached  us  yesterday,  and  we  lost 
no  time  in  communicating  the  subject  to  his  Holiness, 
enclosing  your  letters  in  mine.  We  addressed  ourselves 
in  a  strain  of  intercession  to  the  great  ocean  of  his  pity, 
and  from  the  abundance  of  his  compassion  his  high 
pleasure  was  moved  to  accept  our  petition  whenever  you 
and  the  sheikhs,  your  sons,  should  come  and  do  your- 
selves the  honor  to  kiss  the  footsteps  of  his  Holiness, 
with  entire  submission,  with  a  firm  resolution  to  quit  all 
connection  with  the  Bible  men,  and  with  sincere  peni- 
tence for  the  past. 

"Our  advice  to  you  is,  therefore,  that  now  you  call 
together  your  sons  and  come,  all  of  you,  this  very  day, 
that  we  may  go,  we  and  you  in  company,  and  kiss  the 
tracks  of  his  Holiness.  As  for  ourself,  our  special  de- 
sire is,  that  there  be  no  delay,  as  we  have  no  time  to 
lose,  intending,  if  God  will,  to  go  to-morrow  to  kiss 
the  hand  of  his  Excellency  the  Emeer  Ameen  (may 
God  assist  him  !),  at  the  convent  of  Meifook.     If  you 

21 


242  BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

wish  for  the  favor  of  God  and  of  his  Holiness  come  at 
once,  you  and  your  sons  with  you,  without  delay.  Tarry 
not.^' 

This  letter  Sheikh  Lattoof  took,  and  enclosing  it  in 
one  of  his  own,  sent  it  to  his  two  sons,  who  were  with 
us  at  Ba-whyta,  recommending  their  compliance  with 
the  counsel  of  their  worthy  Besherry  friend.  Yoosef  at 
once  complied,  and  set  oif  for  Eh-heden ;  but  as  for 
Naameh,  he  did  not  at  all  covet  '^  the  honor  of  Ussing 
the  tracks  of  his  HoUncss,^^  nor  could  he  believe  that  his 
father  was  really  in  earnest  in  wishing  him  to  do  so. 
He,  therefore,  sent  by  Yoosef  a  respectful  letter  to  his 
father,  excusing  himself  from  coming,  and  hoping  that 
he  would  be  willing  to  go  on  and  enjoy  the  honor  and 
profit  of  the  proposed  interview  without  him. 

The  three  sheikhs  repaired  to  the  patriarch  at  Deman, 
a  convent  across  the  chasm  over  against  Canobeen.  The 
prison  of  Assad  Shidlak  was  at  Canobeen.  His  Holi- 
ness was  doubtless  unwilling  to  summon  these  new 
"devils''  for  trial  in  so  close  contiguity  with  the 
old  one. 

After  the  kissing  part  of  the  ceremony  was  over  the 
trial  began.  "What  is  this,  Lattoof,  that  you  have  been 
doing?  How  could  you  send  all  the  way  to  Beirut  to 
bring  us  those  heretics  and  place  them  down  here  in  my 
very  beard?  Why  did  you  not  bring  them  direct  to 
Canobeen  itself  and  seat  them  in  the  patriarchal  chair, 
and  send  me  off  to  be  a  pastor  of  sheep  and  goats? 
What  new  spirit  has  possessed  you  ?  What  new  faith 
have  you?     Let  us  know  the  articles  of  your  creed." 

"  I  wish,"  said  the  sheikh,  "  to  be  summoned  before 
some  man  of  religion  and  conscience,  and  then  I  shall 
be  ready  to  declare  my  faith  what  it  is,  but  until  that  is 


BIBLE   WORK   IN    BIBLE   LANDS.  243 

done  I  shall  excuse  myself  from  the  duty.  With  regard 
to  the  religion  and  conscience  of  your  Blessedness,  here 
is  the  evidence  of  what  sort  they  are/'  showing  his  swol- 
len hand  and  lifting  up  with  it  the  bandage  from  his 
gashed  forehead. 

" But  what  have  I  to  do  with  all  that?" 

"  All  this  is  the  work  of  your  Blessedness,  and  it  is 
written  in  the  book  of  God  for  you  to  account  for." 

"I  wish  you  distinctly  to  understand,  Lattoof,  that  it 
is  not  you,  but  your  son  Naameh,  that  I  have  particu- 
larly in  view  in  what  I  am  uow  doing— that  wicked 
youth  who  unites  with  the  heretics  and  assists  them,  and 
even  preaches  their  doctrines  in  public  harangues." 

"  Pray,  who  ever  heard  my  son  Naameh  preach  ?" 

"  I  have  many  witnesses  to  prove  that  he  preached 
not  only  in  Eh-heden,  but  also  in  Tripoli." 

"  I  tell  you  it  is  all  an  abominable  lie." 

Sheikh  Girgis,  to  whom  this  report  was  no  less  new 
and  incredible  than  it  was  to  Lattoof,  united  in  assuring 
his  Blessedness  that  such  a  thing  could  not  have  taken 
place,  and  that  it  was  a  slander  from  some  enemy. 

"  No ;  it  is  really  true.  I  know  all  about  this  matter, 
and  if  that  youth  Kaameh — that  miserable  Rabshoon* 
the  second — does  not  cease  from  his  work  of  heresy,  I'll 
be  the  death  of  him.  I  am  able  to  accomplish  it.  I 
can  do  what  the  Emeer  Besheer  cannot,  and  wherever 
that  Rabshoon  may  think  to  hide  himself,  in  that  place 
I  shall  be  sure  to  send  and  burn  hhnJ^ 

"  Had  it  not  been  for  the  emeer  you  would  have  put 
an  end  to  him  long  ago.  The  emeer  seems  to  be  the 
man  of  peace  and  of  conscience,  and  you  the  man  of 
blood." 

*  Lord  of  hell.    Sliidiak  was  Kabshoon  the  first. 


244  BIBLE   WORK   IN    BIBLE   LANDS. 

The  patriarch  then  acknowledged  that  he  had  written 
to  the  Emeer  Besheer  to  instruct  the  Emeer  Anieen  not 
to  suffer  Naameh  to  leave  Gebail  alive. 

A  long  talk  was  then  had  about  an  arrangement  for 
the  absolution  of  the  family,  but  it  was  all  to  no  pur- 
pose, as  the  main  transgressor  had  not  yet  presented 
himself.  Nothing  would  do  but  that  Yoosef  should 
immediately  return  and  inform  his  brother  that  his 
presence  was  absolutely  necessary  to  a  settlement,  and 
that  in  the  mean  time  the  father  should  remain  at  Deman 
waiting  Naameh^s  arrival.  Sheikh  Girgis  left  the  place, 
having,  as  he  had  before  intimated,  an  appointment  to 
meet  the  prince  at  Deir  Meifook. 

Yoosef  appeared  in  due  time  at  Ba-whyta,  bringing  a 
letter  from  the  father  expressed  in  such  terms  that  he 
was  convinced  his  father  was  now  in  earnest.  The 
patriarch  had  to  a  certain  extent  promised  to  procure 
the  return  of  their  property  which  the  emeer  had  taken 
from  them.  It  was  added,  also,  in  the  letter,  that  his 
Blessedness  had  pledged  himself  before  the  sheikhs, 
bishops  and  others  present  that  Naameh  should  be  per- 
fectly secure  from  all  personal  restraint  or  harm  pro- 
vided he  came. 

As  his  presence  might  subserve  the  cause  of  truth  by 
revealing  the  false  impressions  and  accusations  of  the 
patriarch,  and  might  relieve  the  sufferings  of  the  family, 
we  did  not  attempt  to  dissuade  him  from  going.  He 
accordingly  set  off,  taking  with  him  Arabi,  our  faithful 
Muslim,  to  bring  us  word  again  if  any  mischief  should 
befall  him.     Yoosef  remained  with  us. 

The  third  day  after  he  left  us  he  reappeared  and  gave 
us  the  following  account  of  his  visit.  The  patriarch  re^ 
ceived  him  with  remarkable  courtesy,  ordering  sherbet 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS.  245 

and  coffee  and  handing  him  even  his  own  pipe  to  smoke. 
Soon  his  Blessedness  entered  upon  the  business  before 
them,  saying : 

"  My  son  Naameh,  what  is  this  new  religion  which 
you  are  about  setting  up  among  us?  You  have  the 
honor  of  being  a  descendant  of  one  of  the  most  respect- 
able families  of  our  nation — a  family  who  have  always 
lived  in  quiet  spiritual  union  with  our  sons  of  the 
Maronite  Church.  Why  should  you  now  turn  away 
from  their  pious  example  and  lend  your  aid  to  heretics  ? 
You  know  to  what  trouble  and  expense  I  was  put  to 
dislodge  those  Bible  men  from  Antoora,  and  now  you 
are  renewing  the  same  sort  of  trouble  by  giving  them 
a  residence  in  the  Gibbeh.  Why  do  you  thus  take  part 
against  your  own  mother  Church,  and  by  your  example 
give  occasion  of  infidelity  and  offence  to  the  whole 
Maronite  nation  ?'^ 

"  I  would  answer  you,"  said  Naameh,  "  by  asking 
why  your  Blessedness  issues  against  those  worthy  men 
proclamation  after  proclamation  filled  from  beginning  to 
end  with  notorious  misstatements  and  false  uisinuations, 
and  thus  become  yourself  the  occasion  of  infidelity  and 
offence  to  the  whole  Maronite  nation  ?" 

The  dialogue  thus  spiritedly  begun  waxed  warmer 
and  warmer :  "  What  are  those  worthy  individuals  you 
speak  of?  Will  you  call  men  worthy  or  even  honest 
who  buy  men  to  become  of  their  religion  ? — who  seduce 
men  from  their  own  Church  by  means  of  their  money?'' 

"  I  will  tell  you,''  said  Naameh,  "  what  I  myself  have 
witnessed.  At  a  certain  time  I  was  present  when  one 
of  the  sons  of  the  Church  came  to  a  Bible  man  pleading 
poverty  and  wanting  money,  declaring  himself  ready  to 
become  one  of  his  followers,  to  believe  all  that  he  be- 

21* 


246  BIBLE   WOKK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

lieved  and  to  reject  all  doctrines  that  he  rejected.  The 
Bible  man  answered,  '  We  buy  no  man's  religion  here, 
sir ;'  then  pointing  to  a  New  Testament  on  his  table,  he 
added,  '  There  are  my  doctrines.  Take  that  book  and 
read  it  and  obey  it,  and  I  ask  you  not  to  be  my  follower, 
nor  is  it  of  any  consequence  whether  you  ever  see  my 
face  again.' '' 

"  Those  Bible  men  are  but  a  club  of  devils." 

"  Were  they  as  fond  as  some  others  of  quarrels  and 
other  devilish  work,  they  would  have  come,  not  to  Eh- 
heden  only,  but  to  Canobeen,  and  ridden  upon  your 
neck,  for  these  men  are  not  in  the  country  by  permission 
of  the  emeer  nor  yet  of  the  pasha :  they  are  under  the 
shield  of  a  special  firman  of  the  grand  signor.  But  they 
are  men  of  peace,  and  retire  from  contention  wherever 
they  find  it." 

"  They  are  men  abiding  under  the  anger  of  God,  in- 
corrigible heretics,  and  the  only  proper  medicine  for 
them  is  leadJ^ 

The  patriarch  then  accused  Naameh  of  having  entered 
his  name  on  our  books  as  one  of  the  Bible  company,  and 
of  having  come  to  Canobeen  in  secret  three  several  times 
to  effect  the  escape  of  Shidiak. 

"  These  accusations  are,  the  whole  of  them,  perfectly 
false." 

"  But  my  witness  is  no  less  a  man  than  Priest  Girgis 
of  Beirut. 

"And  will  you  receive  the  testimony  of  such  a  man 
as  that  ?  Go  to  Beirut  and  hear  what  the  people  say  of 
him.  See  him  strut  and  swagger  through  the  streets, 
spreading  his  robes  to  the  wind,  stroking  and  smooth- 
ing his  beard,  and  talking  big  as  if  he  were  an  aga  of 
the  Janisaries.     He  is  a  reckless   hypocrite,  unfit  for 


BIBLE    WORK   IN    BIBLE   LANDS.  247 

the  priesthood,  and  unfit  to  be  a  witness  against  any 
man." 

The  patriarch  became  extremely  excited,  and  threat- 
ened to  put  Naameh  in  confinement  by  the  side  of  Shidiak. 

"  I  am  not  one  of  your  Ain  Waraka  boys,"  said  Naameh, 
"  nourished  at  your  expense  and  bound  to  you  by  oaths, 
that  you  should  think  to  do  by  me  as  you  do  by  them. 
Do  not  think  that  I  came  on  this  visit  through  any  fear 
of  your  excommunication,  nor  that  I  came  to  be  fright- 
ened by  threats.  I  am  not  under  your  authority,  and 
if  you  order  me  to  be  seized,  here  is  my  hanjar,  I  shall 
do  my  best  to  defend  myself." 

Lattoof,  whose  great  aim  now  was  to  appease  the  pa- 
triarch, rose  in  opposition  to  his  son  and  requested  him 
to  be  quiet;  but  at  this  Naameh,  vexed  into  a  fury  at  see- 
ing his  father  taking  part  against  him,  drew  his  hanjar 
and  cried  out,  "  I^eave  me,  father,  leave  me !  I  shall 
stab  myself  with  impatience  !"  The  excitement  had  be- 
come intense,  and,  as  it  was  evident  that  no  progress  was 
making  toward  peace,  the  parties  separated  in  mutual 
dissatisfaction. 

Naameh  was  conducted  for  retirement  to  the  room  of 
Bishop  Simaan,  who  had  been  the  patriarch^s  messenger 
to  the  emeer  at  Gebail,  who  saw  Naameh  there  and 
treated  him  rudely,  but  who  was  now  perfectly  changed. 
He  had  completely  shifted  sides.  He  could  not  have 
shown  Naameh  more  marked  attention  than  he  did  now; 
he  made  every  apology  for  what  he  had  said  at  Gebail, 
called  the  patriarch  hard  names,  patted  Naameh  on  the 
shoulder,  saying,  "  Keep  up  your  courage,  man ;  don't 
be  frightened  by  the  animal,  but  use  with  him  the  stout- 
est language  you  are  master  of."  Thus  spake  a  bishop 
respecting  his  patriarch  in  the  patriarch's  own  house. 


248  BIBLE   WORK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

Naameh  continued  firm  in  his  position,  quite  as  unyield- 
ing as  the  patriarch  himself.  Lattoof,  on  the  contrary, 
was  all  compliance.  Quieting  his  conscience  by  the  plea 
of  necessity,  he  made  a  ready  sacrifice  of  all  principle, 
and  whatever  his  master  proposed  he  received  without 
a  moment's  hesitation,  saying,  "  Just  as  you  please,  my 
lord — -just  as  you  please." 

But  even  this  blind  submission  did  not  avail  him,  for 
his  "lord"  still  kept  all  his  "blessedness"  to  himself. 
Not  a  particle  of  it  could  he  spare  to  the  sheikh  or  to 
any  member  of  the  family.  The  curse  must  remain, 
wrapping  them  round  like  a  robe  and  spreading  through 
their  members  like  oil,  until  such  times  as  ^'Babshoon 
the  second'^  should  also  come  and  tender  his  submission. 
It  was  in  vain  that  the  sheikh  said,  "  Naameh  is  of  age ; 
he  must  act  for  himself.  He  is  not  an  inmate  of  my 
house ;  he  is  not  under  my  authority.  If  he  will  remain 
obstinate  or  wicked,  that  is  no  fault  of  mine.  It  is  no 
fault  of  my  family."  Two  days  or  more  being  spent 
in  fruitless  attempts  to  effect  an  arrangement,  Naameh 
mounted  his  horse  and  left  the  place. 

After  an  interval  of  a  week  or  two  Naameh  made  a 
second  visit  to  the  patriarch,  but  with  as  little  success  as 
before.  The  interview  was  almost  a  repetition  of  the 
former  one.  He  said  to  tlie  patriarch,  "  I  have  learned 
one  thing  in  this  quarrel,  and  that  is  that  the  Almighty 
is  not  under  your  direction.  He  does  not  come  and  go 
at  your  bidding.  Once  I  should  have  trembled  under 
your  excommunication,  for  fear  of  the  curse  of  God  in 
this  life  and  the  next.  But  now  I  see  little  difference. 
I  neither  see  my  body  shivered  like  a  potter's  vessel,  nor 
feel  the  curse  like  oil  in  my  veins,  nor  feel  the  torments 
of  that  evil  angel  whom  you  have  set  to  belabor  me  day 


BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  249 

aiul  night.  And  as  to  my  spirit,  I  know  if  I  have  done 
anything  to  cut  me  off  from  communion  with  God  and 
his  people,  that  God  has  excommunicated  me  without 
your  agency,  but  if  not,  your  curse  will  not  injure  me." 

At  hearing  these  last  words  the  patriarch  raised  his 
fists,  and,  striking  them  upon  his  knees  in  a  rage,  said, 
"  That's  the  doctrine  of  the  accursed  Bible  man." 

Naameh  finally  left  the  patriarch  abruptly,  declaring 
that  unless  he  lowered  his  demands  he  would  never 
submit  to  them.  A  week  after  this  Is-hoc  Turbyhh  re- 
ceived a  letter  from  his  Holiness  informing  him  that  in 
consequence  of  the  sincere  repentance  of  Sheikh  Lattoof 
he  had  blessed  him  and  all  his  family  with  the  exception 
of  Naameh,  who  had  been  deluded  and  corrupted  uy  the 
accursed  Bible  man. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

Convent  of  Belmont — Monks  afraid  of  the  Bible — Worshipers  of 
Mary— An  eclipse  of  the  moon — Famous  Greek  preacher,  Miniati 
— Battle  of  Navarino  and  panic — Account  of  events  at  Beirut 
and  vicinity  in  various  letters — Keturn  to  Beirut — Ketirement  to 
Malta. 

THE  Irish  physician  who  had  recommended  a  moun- 
tain air  for  the  invalid  child  spoke  highly  also  of 
the  Greek  convent  of  Belmont,  near  Tripoli,  as  a  place 
of  residence,  having  himself  resided  there  for  a  time. 
To  this  place,  therefore,  we  next  retired,  the  rains  of  the 
mountains  and  the  cool  air  threatening  to  become  uncom- 
fortable. It  was  past  the  middle  of  October,  and  we 
had  reaped  all  the  sanitary  advantage  we  could  expect 
from  our  mountain  climate.  Nothing  had  occurred 
during  our  stay  in  Ba-whyta  to  interrupt  our  harmony, 
and  as  we  departed  the  neighbors  gathered  around  us, 
and,  with  every  appearance  of  good-will,  gave  us  their 
parting  salaams. 

At  the  convent  of  Belmont,  which  seemed  to  be  well 
peopled  and  well  kept,  we  were  shown  to  a  set  of  rooms 
in  a  separate  wing  of  the  building,  where  we  might  live 
quite  aloof  from  the  regular  inmates  of  the  establishment. 
The  Greeks  received  us  kindly,  as  their  sect  generally 
had  done.  The  mild-tempered  Rey-is  called  in  upon  us 
the  first  evening  to  tender  to  us  his  welcome.  He  was 
a  man  of  gray  hairs,  gentle  and  frank-hearted  in  his 
demeanor,  and  came   fully  up  to  the  favorable  repre- 

250 


BIBLE   WORK   IN    BIBLE   LANDS.  251 

sentation  we  had  received  of  him  from  our  friend  Dr. 
Madden. 

It  was  two  or  three  evenings  after  this,  when  Sheikh 
Naameh  had  come  down  from  Ba-whyta,  that  we  returned 
the  call  of  the  superior  in  his  large  reception-room.  On 
this  occasion  the  greater  part  of  the  inmates  of  the  Deir 
were  present,  and  Sheikh  Naameh  narrated  before  them 
the  whole  account  of  his  late  difficulty  with  the  Maronite 
patriarch.  They  paid  close  attention  to  the  recital,  some- 
times amused  and  sometimes  execrating  the  patriarch. 

Attention  was  next  turned  to  the  operations  of  the 
Protestants  in  this  land.  An  elderly  man,  a  scribe  of 
the  Mohammedan  prince  of  the  district,  ventured  to  say 
that  the  Greeks  at  first  were  very  ready  to  receive  the 
Protestants  and  co-operate  with  them,  but  since  the  sul- 
tan's firman  came  out  against  them  they  had  chosen  to 
take  an  entire  neutral  stand,  neither  blessing  nor  cursing 
them.  But  after  confessing  that  he  never  had  read  the 
firman,  he  was  told  for  his  better  information  that  there 
had  been  no  firman  at  all  against  Protestants — that 
the  proclamation  which  he  had  in  mind  was  not  against 
men  of  any  class,  but  simply  against  books,  against  the  holy 
books  written  by  Moses  and  David  and  Paul.  The  fir- 
man had  not  a  word  to  say  about  Protestants  any  more 
than  about  the  Greeks,  so  that  cutting  off  intercourse  and 
friendship  for  such  a  firman  was  hardly  justifiable.  It 
was  true  that  the  Greeks  had  fallen  away  from  their  first 
cordiality;  the  old  man  had  only  misstated  the  true  rea- 
son, which  was  that  Ihe  Books  of  3Ioses  discouraged  the 
worship  of  the  "holy  jnduresJ^  Probably  this  thought 
was  the  reason  which  led  one  of  the  priests  immediately 
to  introduce  the  subject  of  worshiping  images  and  jmc- 
tures.     Naameh  could  not  endure  the  practice,  and  spoke 


252  BIBLE   WORK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

decidedly  against  it.  The  priest  fired  up  in  a  moment, 
and  declared  that  whoever  refused  to  worship  the  sacred 
pictures  was  a  heretic.  Their  discussion  was  a  rude  as- 
sault upon  the  prevailing  friendly  feeling  of  the  company. 
But  the  blame  was  the  priest's.  Naameh  challenged 
him  to  justify  or  show  the  lawfulness  of  that  kind  of 
worship. 

"  I'll  show  it/'  said  he,  "  both  from  the  Old  Testa- 
ment and  from  the  New,  referring  to  chapter  and  verse." 

"  I  defy  you  to  do  it,"  said  Naameh. 

A  deacon  was  despatched  to  bring  the  boasted  proofs. 
He  brought  a  large  folio  book.  A  lamp  was  set  in  the 
middle  of  the  room.  The  priest  took  the  book,  saying, 
*^  Here  are  the  Old  and  New  Testaments,"  and  seating 
himself  beside  the  lamp  began  to  read.  It  was  not 
scripture  that  he  was  reading,  but  might  be  a  preface  to 
something  in  point,  and  so  the  sheikh  listened  a  while 
in  silence,  but  soon  he  began  to  be  impatient,  and  hurried 
him  on  to  his  "  proofs,  chapter  and  verse."  The  priest 
said,  "  Wait,  wait  a  minute,  have  patience/'  and  read  on 
and  on,  referring  to  different  authors,  but  especially  to 
St.  John  of  Damascus.  Naameh  waited  for  the  finishing 
of  a  half  a  folio  page  or  more,  when,  discovering  that 
his  patience  profited  him  nothing,  he  would  bear  it  no 
longer,  and  expostulated  with  the  priest,  saying,  "Where 
are  your  proofs  from  the  Old  and  New  Testaments  ?" 

"  What !"  said  the  priest ;  "  are  these  no  proofs  ?" 

"  No,"  said  Naameh ;  "  in  all  you  have  read  I  have 
not  heard  a  proof  that  is  worth  a  straw,  and,  besides,  it 
is  not  scripture." 

The  priest  shut  his  great  book  with  a  slam,  blew  out 
the  lamp  he  had  been  reading  by,  and  took  his  former 
seat.     This  closed  the  interview.     As  we  rose  to  make 


BIBLE   WORK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS.  253 

our  bows  and  salaams  the  Rey-is  spoke  to  Naameh  aside 
and  apologized  for  his  over-zealous  priest,  saying  that 
he  was  half  mad  and  not  worth  minding. 

The  Maronite  patriarch  was  very  sensitive  on  the  sub- 
ject of  purchasing  a  man^s  religion.  In  a  Protestant  it 
was  unpardonable,  but  it  seems  that  he  himself  had  made 
use  of  such  an  inducement  to  buy  Lattoof  back  after 
turning  him  out  of  church.  It  was  a  consideration  of 
no  small  importance  to  Lattoof  to  repossess  his  property, 
and  after  his  restoration  he  made  an  early  call  on  his 
Blessedness  to  know  what  he  desired  to  do  in  regard  to 
it.  Respecting  this  call  the  sheikh  furnished  his  son 
Naameh  at  Deir  Belmont  with  the  following  account. 
He  says : 

"  I  have  just  come  from  a  visit  to  his  Holiness  to  ob- 
tain the  fulfillment  of  his  word  of  promise  to  me.  On 
proposing  my  business  his  Blessedness  said  to  me,  ^  I  can 
do  nothing  about  this  matter.  Your  son  Naameh  is  still 
with  the  accursed  Bible  man,  and  I  have  just  now  been 
credibly  informed  that  such  is  his  state  of  corruption  in 
their  heresy  that  he  once  kneeled  down  for  the  miserable 
heretic  to  lay  his  hands  upon  him  and  pray  over  him, 
and  that  he  afterwards  rose  and  kissed  his  hands.'  I 
told  him  it  was  an  abominable  lie.  He  said  he  could 
prove  it  by  two  substantial  witnesses.  I  assured  him 
the  story  was  a  downright  lie  from  beginning  to  end. 
He  then  raised  his  voice  to  a  very  loud  pitch,  and  I 
raised  mine  louder  than  his,  till  at  last  he  said,  ^  Leave 
me,  Lattoof;  I  have  once  let  you  out  of  your  difficulty 
and  quitted  you,  and  now  all  I  want  of  you  is  to  quit 
me.  It  is  written  *  that  in  the  year  1845  the  people  shall 
rise  up  against  their  superiors  and  throw  off'  their  alle- 

*  By  Bernardus,  a  Koman  bishop. 
22 


254  BIBLE    WORK    IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

giance,  and  you  are  now  making  a  beginning  of  that 
work.  The  Lord  avenge  himself  upon  you.'  I  replied, 
*The  Lord  will  not  avenge  himself  upon  me  at  your 
dictation.  He  is  not  under  your  command  ;  if  he  were 
so,  I  would  no  longer  serve  him.  I  have  not  come  here 
to-day  to  beg  oItyis  of  your  Holiness,  that  you  should  wish 
to  drive  me  from  your  presence.  I  have  come  to  demand 
my  right^  to  request  you  to  fulfill  a  solemn  promise,  but 
as  you  refuse  this,  I  have  nothing  more  to  say.'  With 
that  I  rose,  turned  my  back  upon  him  and  left  him  with- 
out a  compliment.  On  reaching  Besherry  I  related  the 
whole  occurrence  to  Sheikh  Girgis  and  Sheikh  Zaitar, 
and  when  I  had  finished  they  both  said,  ^  Well  doneJ  " 

An  eclipse  of  the  moon  occurred  on  the  3d  of  Novem- 
ber, and  as  we  were  gazing  at  it  Sheikh  Naameh  remarked 
that  on  such  occasions  the  people  in  the  mountains  were 
accustomed  to  get  out  all  their  brass  plates  and  vessels 
and  drum  upon  them,  and  make  as  much  noise  and 
clangor  as  possible  until  the  moon  should  give  back  her 
light.  The  sister  of  the  superior  sitting  by,  who  had 
had  a  threescore  years'  experience  in  this  life,  explained 
to  us  the  nature  of  this  phenomenon  and  the  design 
and  utility  of  the  ringing  of  bells  and  kettles.  It  was 
the  same  identical  old  story  of  the  great  dragon  attempt- 
ing to  swallow  the  moon  and  being  frightened  away  by 
the  tumult.  But  even  Sheikh  Naameh  himself  had 
never  known  the  cause  of  the  eclipse,  and  when  told  he 
was  struck  with  admiration  and  delight  at  the  new  dis- 
covery. 

One  of  the  best  informed  and  most  influential  persons 
among  the  men  of  the  convent  was  Deacon  Athanasius. 
He  made  us  a  friendly  call  soon  after  we  came,  and 
inquired  frankly,  and  apparently  without  any  sinister 


BIBLE   WORK    IN   BIBLE    LAND».  255 

motive,  respecting  Protestant  doctrines  and  customs. 
He  saw  that  we  differed  in  many  points  from  the  Greeks, 
but  instead  of  condemning,  he  in  some  things  commend- 
ed us.  It  was  painful  to  find  a  man  of  his  ability  readily 
confessing  that  the  great  objection  of  the  Greeks  to  the 
free  circulation  of  the  scriptures  was  the  discredit  into 
which  it  brought  the  use  of  the  holy  images. 

The  "  mad  priest,"  whose  name  was  Neophytus,  was 
after  all  the  most  social,  if  not  the  most  friendly,  of  all 
the  inmates  of  the  convent.  He  was  in  a  bad  state  of 
health,  and  two  or  three  days  after  the  ceremony  of  his 
"scripture  proofs"  he  called  in  at  our  room  for  a  little 
medicine  and  sat  and  talked  a  long  time  with  a  feeling 
of  the  utmost  good-nature.  He  honored  us  with  many 
calls  and  friendly  talks,  but  endeavored  to  profit  us  most 
by  commending  to  our  admiration  the  excellences  of  the 
blessed  Virgin,  the  queen  of  heaven. 

The  superior  himself  seldom  favored  us  with  a  call, 
being  very  much  absorbed  in  the  concerns  of  his  vines 
and  olive  trees,  but  he  was  always  accessible  and  kind 
when  sought  for.  His  knowledge  of  scripture,  we  were 
told,  was  remarkable,  and  he  evidently  took  delight  in 
repeating  scripture  incidents  for  the  instruction  and  en- 
tertainment of  present  company.  For  an  example,  one 
evening  as  a  number  of  us  were  together  in  his  receiving- 
room  he  began  to  narrate  some  events  in  the  history  of 
Daniel. 

"  The  king  of  Babylon  had  been  pressed  by  his  people 
to  put  Daniel  to  death,  and  he  finally  consented  to  have 
him  cast  into  a  den  where  there  were  seven  lions.  There 
the  prophet  remained  without  food  six  days.  To  make 
sure  that  the  lions  should  devour  him,  nothing  was 
given  them  to  eat  for  all  these  six  days.     Daniel,  by 


256  BIBLE   WORK   IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

this  time,  was  nearly  dying  with  hunger.  Now  there 
was  a  certain  prophet  in  Judea  called  Habbakuk,  who 
had  prepared  a  dinner  for  his  laborers  in  the  field,  and 
was  about  to  take  it  to  them,  when  an  angel  from  heaven 
appeared  to  him  and  said,  ^  Take  this  dinner  which  thou 
hast  prepared  and  go  to  Babylon,  and  give  it  to  Daniel 
the  prophet  who  is  shut  up  in  the  den  of  lions.'  '  Go 
to  Babylon  V  exclaimed  Habbakuk,  in  astonishment. 
*  Where  am  I,  and  where  is  Babylon,  that  I  should  go 
from  here  to  carry  a  dinner  to  the  prophet  Daniel?' 
But  while  he  wondered  the  angel  took  him  up  by  the 
hair  of  his  head  and  flew  with  him  through  the  air  to 
Babylon  and  set  him  down  with  his  dinner  beside  the 
den  of  lions,  and  so  Daniel  was  fed  and  relieved." 

Some  doubts  being  expressed  (though  it  were  a  pity  to 
spoil  an  entertaining  story)  as  to  whether  these  facts 
were  to  be  found  in  the  Bible  history  of  Daniel,  the 
Bible  was  brought  and  examined,  but  the  story  was  not 
there.  The  good  Rey-is  Simeon  had  read  it  in  a  book 
called  "The  Idol  Bel  and  the  Dragon,"  one  of  those 
"divine  books,"  as  the  Maronite  patriarch  styles  them, 
which  the  Bible  men  are  cursed  for  leaving  out  of  the 
Bible. 

On  the  8th  of  November  a  French  corvette  brought 
news  of  the  terribly  destructive  battle  of  Navarino,  in 
Greece,  where  a  Turkish  fleet  of  more  than  one  hundred 
vessels,  nearly  all  of  them  vessels  of  war,  was  destroyed 
by  a  combined  force  of  twenty-four  vessels  of  the  Eng- 
lish, French  and  Russians,  the  allies  not  losing  a  single 
ship.  So  tremendous  a  blow  upon  Mohammedan  power 
could  not  fail  to  make  itself  felt  through  the  nation. 
But  in  what  way  would  this  feeling  be  manifested  ?  was 
the  inquiry.     Would  it  be  by  the  sudden  cry  of  revenge 


BIBLE   WORK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS.  257 

or  by  the  sullen  acquiescence  of  the  fatalist?  Turks  as 
well  as  Christians  were  all  taken  by  surprise  and  were 
without  any  matured  or  general  plan  of  action.  Through 
the  country  generally  there  were  no  serious  insurrections 
heard  of,  no  thirst  for  the  blood  of  Christians,  but  rather 
a  silent  waiting  to  ascertain  and  follow  the  course  that 
should  be  indicated  by  the  government  at  Constantinople. 

While  the  foregoing  events  were  transpiring  in  the 
north  of  Lebanon,  the  elements  were  not  much  less  dis- 
turbed with  the  brethren  and  friends  at  Beirut.  The 
exciting  causes  were  political  as  well  as  religious.  A 
few  extracts  from  letters  received  from  that  quarter 
during  the  summer  and  autumn  fall  naturally  in  place 
at  this  point  of  our  narrative.  Mr.  Goodell,  August  7, 
writes :  "  Sheikh  Naameh  arrived  here  last  evening,  and' 
we  were  happy  to  hear  of  your  prosperous  voyage  and 
journey.  That  which  has  happened  since  your  arrival 
[the  excommunication]  is  nothing  more  than  was  reason- 
ably to  be  expected  considering  the  relation  of  the  two 
sheikhs'  families  and  our  own  relation  to  the  patriarch. 
We  hope,  however,  the  Emeer  Ameen  will  give  you 
due  protection ;  if  not,  you  will  perhaps  do  well  not  to 
stay  long  at  Eh-heden. 

"  As  to  Beirut  affairs,  the  Greeks  (corsairs)  have  been 
here  the  most  of  the  time  since  you  went  away.  Mr. 
Abbott  lately  had  an  express  from  Cairo  in  eleven  days. 
This  was  understood  by  all  the  people  of  Beirut.  The 
next  morning  early  the  consul  sent  several  camel  loads 
of  furniture  to  the  mountains.  This  too  was  known  to 
all  the  people  of  Beirut.  And  the  very  same  morning  a 
Greek  privateer  came  in  with  several  prizes.  This  also 
was  known,  and  all  Beirut  was  in  an  uproar.  But  the 
22* 


258  BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS. 

express  in  question  brought  no  political  news  whatever, 
and  the  general  excitement  is  now  calmed  down. 

"  We  were  much  pleased  with  Deir  el  Kullaa,  which 
we  lately  visited,  and  took  a  house  of  the  monks  close  by 
the  convent.  We  go  up  probably  this  week,  so  that  by 
next  week  you  may  perhaps  hear  of  some  such  explosion 
in  this  quarter  as  you  have  had  in  yours.  I  do  not  in- 
tend myself  to  dispute  w^ith  any  of  the  monks,  but  I  will 
get  the  consul  to  disputing  as  often  as  I  can  and  will  be 
his  dragoman,  taking  the  dragoman's  liberty  to  explain, 
enlarge  and  help  on  his  argument.'' 

A  letter  from  Mr.  Abbott,  the  consul,  of  the  same 
date  was  as  follows :  "  It  was  almost  of  course  that 
Sheikh  Bootrus  would  avail  himself  of  every  advantage 
to  trouble  and  annoy  Sheikh  Lattoof,  and  he  found  the 
patriarch's  anathema  very  fit  for  his  purpose.  Naameh 
related  to  the  emeer  at  Gebail  the  occurrences  at  Eh- 
heden  ;*  the  emeer  laughed  at  it,  but  gave  him  an  order 
which  he  said  would  set  matters  right.  Naameh,  think- 
ing it  was  not  sufficiently  strong  and  explicit,  particu- 
larly as  to  what  concerned  himself,  brought  it  to  me. 
I  have  directed  my  dragoman  to  represent  the  matter  in 
a  strong  light  to  the  emeer,  and  to  require  that  he  would 
permit  no  such  scandalous  transactions  and  insist  that 
Naameh  should  be  properly  protected  in  the  execution 
of  the  service  for  which  I  have  employed  him  with  you. 

"  We  propose  to  move  to  Deir  el  Kullaa  as  soon  as 
everything  is  prepared  for  us." 

Four  days  after  his  first,  Mr.  Goodell  writes :  "  We 

wrote  to  you  by  Sheikh  Naameh,  who,  I  fear,  will  lose 

his  letters  and  his  life  before  this  reaches  you.     The 

next  day  after  Sheikh  Naameli  was  gone  I  wrote  you 

*  Simply  the  anathemas,  not  the  outrage  in  the  evening. 


BIBLE   WORK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS.  259 

by  express,  and  the  consul  sent  a  second  letter  which  he 
had  received  from  the  Emeer  Besheer.  These  letters,  I 
fear,  will  fall  into  the  hands  of  your  enemies. 

"  By  your  letters  from  Tripoli,  received  this  morning, 
it  would  seem  that,  like  Paul  and  Silas,  you  have  been 
exposed  to  assaults  of  violence  for  the  name  of  Christ, 
and  have  had  to  flee  hither  and  thither  to  save  your 
lives.  Think  it  not  strange  concerning  this  fiery  trial, 
but  rather  rejoice.  .  .  . 

"The  Emeer  Besheer  advises  me  not  to  go  on  the 
mountain  with  Mr.  Abbott,  as  it  may  be  the  occasion  of 
something  scandalous.  The  Maronites  appear  to  be  quite 
resolved  to  fight  ^  for  their  altars.' 

"  We  deeply  sympathize  with  you  all,  but  we  know 
who  governs  the  world,  and  that  he  can  cause  even  these 
commotions  to  turn  out  for  the  furtherance  of  the  gos- 
pel. The  poor  monks  of  Deir  el  Kullaa  have  just  sent 
word  to  Mr.  Abbott  that  if  I  go  up  with  him  they 
must  flee,  for  the  patriarch  has  threatened  them  with 
something  terrible  in  case  of  their  receiving  me.'' 

Mr.  Goodell,  August  22  :  "  The  Allies  have  agreed  on 
a  course  of  policy.  They  do  not  declare  war  against  the 
Porte,  but  they  acknowledge  the  independence  of  the 
Greeks,  and  require  a  stop  to  be  put  to  the  war  against 
them.  The  Turks  at  Constantinople,  as  might  be  sup- 
posed, rave  and  bluster  and  threaten,  but  it  is  not  ex- 
pected that  they  Avill  fight. 

"  Mr.  Abbott  has  written  a  very  strong  letter  to  the 
emeer  respecting  your  case,  but  without  avail,  and  re- 
dress could  hardly  be  expected  either  at  Acca  or  at  Con- 
stantinople. You  know  what  fanaticism  has  done  at 
Malta,  and  in  Mear  Ireland'  occasionally.  The  moun- 
taineers feel  very  sore.     Our  fare,  for  aught  I  see,  must 


260  BIBLE   WORK   IN    BIBLE   LANDS. 

be  at  times  like  that  of  the  apostles,  when  persecuted  in 
one  city,  fleeing  to  another.  The  patriarch  did  all  he 
could  to  prevent  Mr.  Abbott  himself  from  going  to  the 
mountains. 

^^  Where  I  shall  flee,  in  case  of  war,  I  cannot  tell. 
But  the  Lord  will  provide.  There  is  great  consternation 
in  Beirut  among  Muslims  as  well  as  Christians,  and 
Franks  are  leaving  the  city  or  sending  their  effects  to  the 
mountains." 

Consul  Abbott,  August  29  :  "  The  alarm  and  con- 
sternation in  the  present  crisis  of  politics  are  at  such 
a  pitch  that  I  am  extremely  puzzled  how  to  get  on. 
Neither  of  my  dragomans  would  dare  write  another  let- 
ter to  the  emeer  for  me  after  what  has  passed,  as  they 
would  be  placed  between  two  fires,  and  they  are  turning 
their  faces  toward  the  mountains  for  an  asylum,  whither 
they  have  already  sent  their  valuables  for  security  in  the 
event  of  an  uproar,  so  you  may  imagine  in  what  a  situa- 
tion I  am  placed.  Ever  since  I  came  to  Deir  el  Kullaa, 
near  a  fortnight  now,  I  have  been  perpetually  teased, 
and  have  been  thrice  obliged  to  leave  my  family  for 
days  together.  The  noise  and  stir  at  Eh-heden  has 
prevented  Mr.  Goodell's  family  from  going  with  mine 
to  the  mountain.  His  children  have  been  very  unwell, 
and  Mrs.  Goodell  lies  in  a  sick  bed,  but  I  hope,  by  the 
mercy  of  God,  she  may  soon  be  restored  to  her  accus- 
tomed health." 

Mr.  Goodell,  September  7 :  "  Your  long  and  affection- 
ate communications  were  truly  welcome.  I  became  so 
affected  in  reading  Mrs.  Bird's  that  I  had  to  give  it  to 
Mrs.  Goodell  to  read.  I  assure  you  we  deeply  sympa- 
thize with  you,  rejoicing  in  all  your  joys  and  sorrowing 
in  all  your  sorrows.     I  have  much  confidence  tliat  all 


BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  261 

that  has  befallen  you  will  tend  to  open  the  eyes  of  many, 
and  will  thus  promote  the  cause  of  the  gospel.  This 
week  has  been  full  of  terror  to  Franks  as  well  as  the 
native  Christians.  The  latter  fled  in  such  numbers  from 
the  city  on  Sunday  and  Monday,  with  their  baggage,  that 
the  Turkish  authorities  put  a  stop  to  it,  and  sent  to  Acca 
to  know  the  cause  of  all  this  consternation,  saying  that 
the  Franks  had  frightened  them  all.  Mr.  Gabriel  Chas- 
seaud  (English  vice-consul)  fled  with  his  bed  and  gun, 
and  is  happy  as  a  king  on  the  mountain — happy  to  es- 
cape with  his  life,  though  all  his  property  should  go. 

"  The  cause  of  this  fear  apparently  is  the  very  great 
number  of  messengers  that  have  passed  lately  without 
bringing  any  letters  and  without  bringing  any  news, 
except,  it  is  said,  that  one  of  them  threw  out  a  dark 
hint.  Some  surmised  that  the  sultan  had  been  killed 
by  some  of  the  opposers  of  his  new  system,  and  that 
there  would  be  a  massacre  of  all  Christians,  natives  and 
Franks;  some  supposed  that  war  was  declared,  .  .  . 
and  my  Armenians  were  almost  sure  that  their  heads 
would  be  demanded.  Mr.  Abbott  wrote  to  me  to  send 
him,  without  delay,  all  the  fearful  and  faint-hearted,  and 
I  sent  him  yesterday  Mrs.  Goodell  and  the  children,  and 
the  Armenians,  Carabet  and  Wortabet,  with  their  wives 
and  baggage.  Mrs.  GoodelPs  removal  increased  the 
consternation  of  our  neighbors  to  the  highest  pitch. 
The  people  had  kept  their  eyes  on  us,  saying  that  we 
had  always  heretofore  stood  at  our  posts  while  consuls 
and  other  Franks  went  away.  .  .  .  Assad  Yacob  has 
come  and  slept  with  us  every  night  the  week  past. 
Michael  Trodd  and  Hanna  el  Khoory  also  pass  their 
nights  with  us.  Tanuoos  el  Haddad  appears  truly  like 
a  Christian." 


262  BIBLE   WORK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

Mr.  Goodell,  September  10  :  "  Last  night  Priest  An- 
tone  (Greek)  came  out  and  passed  the  night  with  us. 
Several  of  the  people  were  with  us  also.  We  read  the 
Scriptures  as  usual,  and  I  prayed  in  Arabic.  The  priest 
broke  out  in  the  midst  of  my  prayer,  saying  it  was  good 
and  beseeching  God  to  grant  all  my  petitions.  After 
this  we  had  much  interesting  conversation  till  quite 
late.  The  priest  was  very  zealous,  talking  and  sweating 
and  preaching,  and  the  last  generally  in  a  very  orthodox 
manner.^' 

Mr.  Smith,  September  23  :  "  G M (an  Arab 

servant)  has  just  returned  from  the  mountains,  whither 
he  has  been  to  see  the  patriarch.  He  was  at  Canobeen 
when  his  Blessedness  first  heard  of  your  arrival,  and  saw 
his  rage.  He  says  it  was  reported  to  the  patriarch  that 
you  began  immediately  on  your  arrival  to  disseminate 
your  sentiments.  The  first  message  of  his  Blessedness 
to  the  Emeer  Ameen,  he  says,  was  unsuccessful.     He 

then  sent  a  bishop,*  who  had  not  returned  while  G 

was  there. 

"  Only  one  English  subject  remains  in  the  city,  and 
there  is  not  a  single  European  vessel  in  the  harbor." 

Mr.  Goodell,  September  24:  "The  pasha  and  the 
authorities  at  Beirut  are  doing  all  they  can  to  allay  the 
fears  of  the  native  Christians  and  to  assure  them  of  pro- 
tection and  safety.  All  the  Muslims  of  the  city  have 
their  arms  with  them,  and  during  the  night  take  turns 
in  patroling  the  city.  Those  who  sleep  have  their  arms 
at  their  pillows. 

^'  My  Armenians  are,  I  think,  doing  much  good  on 

*  This  was  the  bishop  that  was  rude  to  Sheikh  Naameh  at  Gebail, 
but  afterward,  at  Deman,  called  the  patriarch  a  beast,  and  encouraged 
Naameh  to  defend  himself  boldly. 


BIBLE    WORK    IN   BIBLE   LANDS.  263 

the  mountains.  All  sorts  of  people  call  on  them  to  con- 
verse on  religion.  It  is  apparently  much  better  for  the 
cause  than  if  I  were  there.  Yacob  Aga  also  has,  we 
think,  done  good  at  Joon,  and  Yoosef  Lufloofy  is  useful 
at  Sidon.  Our  Tannoos  is  of  great  use  here.  More  or 
fewer  Arabs  are  always  present  at  our  evening  prayers 
and  on  the  Sabbath." 

September  25 :  "  Soon  after  the  messenger  was  gone 
yesterday,  Galeb  Shidiak  came  and  brought  another  let- 
ter from  Phares  for  you.  He  says  it  is  true,  as  we  have 
heard  from  a  sheikh,  that  Assad's  moustache  and  hair 
have  fallen  off  through  the  excess  of  his  sufferings. 

"  The  number  of  those  who  read  the  scriptures  with 
us  increases.  Priest  Antone  is  very  friendly  to  Tannoos 
and  to  us  all.  Our  conversation  is  always  of  the  spiritual 
kind,  and  the  children  of  his  church  rejoice  greatly  to 
see  him  with  us,  reading  the  scriptures  with  us  and 
hearing  our  prayers.  We  carefully  avoid  all  disputes, 
and  so  does  he,  and  so  do  all  that  come. 

"  There  is  at  present  the  prospect  of  a  wide  door  being 
opened  to  us  among  the  Druzes.  They  all  appear  to 
look  upon  us  as  friends,  and  I  am  inclined  to  think  will 
tell  us  all  about  their  secret  religion.  I  should  not  be 
surprised  to  find  their  religion  more  like  Protestantism 
than  like  any  other  religion  in  this  country.  As  to  war, 
the  probability  of  it  seems  to  have  passed,  and  every 
day  makes  it  appear  more  unlikely  to  happen." 

Mr.  Smith,  October  4 :  "  I  have  received  an  invita- 
tion from  the  Beirut  convent,  since  the  arrival  there  of 
the  Greek  patriarch,  to  come  and  make  them  a  visit. 
We  have  here  little  that  is  new,  except  that  the  Chris- 
tians of  the  different  sects  seem  to  be  less  afraid  of  us 
than  formerly.     I   suppose    the    news   of  the   day,  by 


264  BIBLE   WORK    IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

almost  turning  their  brains,  has  made  them  forget,  in 
some  measure,  the  threats  and  anathemas  of  their  priests. 
Priest  Antone  continues  very  friendly.  Finding  at  his 
last  visit  some  one  with  us  who,  he  feared,  would  in- 
form the  renowned  Nicola  Trodd,  he  has  not  been  here 
of  late.  He,  however,  often  sends  his  salutations,  and 
the  other  day  he  urged  Tannoos  to  come  to  his  church, 
saying  that  he  need  not  worship  the  pictures  nor  do 
anything  contrary  to  his  conscience.  Tannoos  continues 
with  me,  and,  so  far  as  I  perceive,  gives  good  evidence 
of  being  a  true  Christian." 

Mr.  Goodell,  October  16:  "The  naval  battle  that 
took  place  lately  off  our  coast  was  heard  here  and  at 
Sidon  and  Soor,  but  no  one  can  tell  between  what  ships 
it  happened.  The  plague  is  raging  in  the  mountains  in 
several  villages.  A  Greek  cruiser  came  in  yesterday  and 
took  a  French  vessel  out  of  the  harbor.  To-day  they 
are  parading  backward  and  forward  before  the  city. 
The  Emeer  Besheer  lately  sent  a  private  message  to 
Consul  Abbott  to  say  that,  in  case  of  war,  he  must  not 
trust  himself  to  the  mountains  for  safety,  as  he  could  not 
take  it  upon  him  to  deny  his  being  in  his  princedom  if 
the  pasha  should  demand  him.  The  consul  returned 
for  answer  that  it  was  no  wonder  he  could  not  protect 
him,  for  he  could  not  even  manage  that  infamous  petty 
priest  at  Canobeen." 

Consul  Abbott  to  Mr.  Goodell,  dated  Deir  el  Kullaa, 
October  19  :  "At  last,  this  evening,  I  have  received  an 
answer  to  my  letter  by  express  to  Smyrna.  Luckily 
the  admiral  was  at  that  place  when  my  letter  arrived,  and 
there  is  little  doubt  that  we  shall  be  taken  good  care  of 
in  case  of  any  hostilities  with  the  Turks,  which  do  not 
at  present  seem  very  probable.     By  comparing  dates  and 


BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS.  265 

circumstances  I  am  more  and  more  confirmed  in  my 
opinion  that  all  will  go  on  quietly  without  bloodshed 
between  us  and  the  Turks  on  the  subject  of  the  Greek 
emancipation/' 

Mr.  Abbott  to  Mr.  Goodell,  November  7 :  "I  have 
received  an  express  from  my  nephew,  dated  3  o'clock 
to-day,  saying  that  a  French  ship,  just  in,  has  brought 
the  news  that  hostilities  have  commenced  against  the 
Turks  by  the  united  English  and  French  fleets  having 
attacked  and  destroyed  the  fleet  of  the  grand  seignor. 

"  Should  this  really  be  the  case,  I  would  advise  you 
to  remove  all  your  most  valuable  property  again  up  to 
this  place,  and  as  for  yourselves,  contrive  to  get  up  to 
Mansuruyah  quietly  at  your  leisure,  where  I  have  se- 
cured the  Emeer  Shedeed's  house  by  an  order  from  him 
just  now  put  into  my  hands.  When  we  all  meet  and 
put  our  dear  ones  in  a  quiet  and  secure  place,  we  will 
consult  upon  the  next  measures  to  be  taken  for  our  own 
comfort  or  security.  But  before  you  take  any  decisive 
step  you  had  better  get  every  necessary  information  as 
to  the  authenticity  of  the  report  that  ha^  spread  such  a 
terrible  alarm  among  our  French  neighbors. 

"Let  nothing  disturb  the  quiet  of  your  mind  nor  that 
of  your  dear  family  under  the  present  or  any  other  pub- 
lic alarms.  Let  us  put  our  trust  in  Him  to  whom  we 
belong." 

Past  10  o'clock  p.  M. :  "  I  wrote  you  more  than  two 
hours  ago  on  the  subject  of  our  trials.  Send  Mrs. 
Goodell  and  what  is  dear  to  you  up  to  us.  I  have  told 
you  of  the  place  at  Mansureeyeh.  It  will  hold  us  all. 
I  have  stopped  the  messenger  and  sent  my  letter  by 
Eleeas  Fuaz,  the  weather  being  very  untoward." 

Mr.  Goodell  to  us  at  Deir  Belmont,  dated  Mansu- 

23 


266  BIBLE    WORK    IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

reey  eh,  November  8  :  "We  fled  from  Beirut  hither  this 
morning  before  sunrise.  All  the  other  Franks,  consuls 
and  their  dependents,  fled  last  night.  A  French  corvette 
came  expressly  to  bring  the  news  that  the  combined  fleets 
of  Mohammed  Ali  and  of  the  sultan  fired  upon  the  Eng- 
lish and  French  fleets,  when  the  latter  sunk  all  the 
former  to  the  bottom  of  the  ocean,  not  leaving,  it  is  said, 
a  man  to  escape.  Some  of  the  Franks  here  have  em- 
barked on  board  the  corvette,  and  the  rest  have  fled  to 
the  mountains.  I  left  everything  behind,  but  hope  yet 
to  secure  both  your  things  and  mine.  This  is  to  advise 
you  to  take  good  care  of  yourselves.  We  are  in  the 
house  of  the  Emeer  Shedeed,  taken  only  yesterday  (mark 
the  Providence !)  by  the  English  consul,  and  before  he 
heard  of  this  war  report.  It  is  two  hours  from  Beirut 
and  one  from  Deir  el  Kullaa.  The  Lord  be  with  you 
and  preserve  us  all  from  the  hand  of  the  wicked !" 

Mr.  Smith,  Mansur,  November  10  :  "  You  will  have 
heard  that  we  have  fled  from  Beirut.  The  consuFs  fam- 
ily will  join  us  soon,  and  we  hope  to  find  ourselves  com- 
fortably situated.  Mr.  Abbott  has  informed  the  emeer 
of  what  has  happened,  at  the  same  time  telling  him  that 
he  expects  a  man-of-war  along  soon  to  look  after  us. 
Should  one  come  we  shall  not  forget  you.  Mr.  Abbott 
is  in  very  good  spirits  and  is  very  attentive. 

"  We  did  not  hear  of  the  late  battle  until  after  sunset 
on  the  7th,  and  then  dispatched  Eleeas  Fuaz  to  the  con- 
sul in  one  of  the  rainiest  nights  I  ever  saw.  After  spend- 
ing the  night  till  late  in  packing,  and  having  received, 
about  2  o'clock  in  the  morning,  an  answer  from  Mr. 
Abbott,  we  set  off*  on  foot  before  sunrise,  having  been 
able  to  obtain  only  two  donkeys  for  the  children  and 
Mrs.  Goodell,  the  last  of  whom  was  sick  abed  when  the 


BIBLE   WORK   IN    BIBLE   LANDS.  267 

news  arrived,  and  thus,  some  on  boards  and  some  on 
broken  pieces  of  the  ship,  it  came  to  pass  that  we  escaped 
all  safe,  Mr.  Goodell  and  family  to  Mansureeyeh,  and  Mr. 
St.  J.  and  I  to  Deir  el  Kullaa. 

"All  our  houses  are  etill  undisturbed,  and  though  we 
escaped  with  nothing  except  our  money  and  the  clothes 
on  our  backs,  through  the  attentions  of  our  Arab 
friends  we  have  been  able  to  obtain  our  most  valuable 
articles." 

Mr.  Goodell,  Mansureeyeh,  November  12  :  "We  have 
got  into  very  fine  quarters.  I  think  it  not  improbable 
that  we  may  winter  here,  even  should  there  be  peace. 
The  priests  and  people  are  very  friendly  indeed  so  far. 
Mrs.  GoodelFs  fright  and  flight  entirely  cured  her.  We 
are  translating  the  official  account  of  the  battle,  by  the 
request  of  Mr.  Abbott,  into  Arabic,  to  be  circulated  every- 
where. I  expect  much  good  to  grow  out  of  all  this.  I 
am  glad  we  wrote  our  joint  letter  to  Mr.  Jowett  when 
we  did.  I  am  glad  you  have  been  kicking  up  such  a 
dust  in  all  your  neighborhood.  I  am  glad  for  almost 
everything  and  sorry  for  nothing,  unless  it  be  our  own 
indolence.  Let  us  go  on  laboring  and  praying  fervently 
that  by  all  these  events  the  kingdom  of  Christ  may  be 
advanced.  All  the  sheikhs  and  emeers  and  priests  and 
monks  and  people  in  this  quarter  are  in  high  glee  at  the 
news." 

From  the  Armenian  brethren,  Carabet  and  Wortabet : 

"  We  received  a  letter  from  you  yesterday,  and  we  en- 
joyed your  desired  love  with  great  joy  and  comfort. 
We  give  thanks  to  God  that  keeps  you  and  all  true  be- 
lievers in  him  and  his  Son,  and  all  who  trust  in  the  name 
of  Jesus  he  delivers  j&om  every  evil  and  every  tempta- 


268  BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS. 

tion  as  he  has  done  for  yon.  We  are  joyful  very  much, 
and  our  hearts  are  filled  with  comfort  on  God's  gifts 
whereby  all  your  family  are  in  life  and  in  health.  Al- 
though you  have  had  affliction  in  some  respects,  we  hope 
you  have  comforts  too  from  Him  whom  you  trust. 

"All  we  are  very  well,  and  stay  with  our  beloved 
brother,  Mr.  Goodell,  in  Mansurie,  giving  praise  to  God 
for  all  his  providence  in  this  world.  We  are  not  neg- 
lectful to  remember  you  and  yours  in  our  prayers  in 
every  time,  and  we  ask  you  for  this  purpose,  that  is,  to 
pray  for  all  of  us,  and  we,  hoping  to  see  you  in  a  short 
time,  remain  your  real  friends, 

"D.  Carabet, 
"J.  G.  Wortabet." 

Mr.  Goodell,  November  29:  "All  is  quiet  in  Alexan- 
dria. The  pasha  there  offers  a  wager  of  fifty  purses  that 
there  will  be  no  war.  Everything  quiet  at  Cyprus. 
The  Maltese  families  are  returning  from  the  mountains 
to  Beirut.  Letters  from  Constantinople  say  that  the  sul- 
tan received  the  news  of  the  great  battle  with  ^grandis- 
sima  calma.^ " 

December  8 :  "  The  Emeer  Shedeed  is  now  in  this 
village.  His  mother  came  a  fortnight  ago.  He  is  very 
civil  and  polite,  and  is  also  something  of  a  scholar — is 
exceedingly  kind  and  agreeable  with  Brother  Smith,  but 
very  cautious  not  to  speak  my  name,  or  to  have  any  con- 
versation with  me.  Since  his  mother  came  she  has  had 
constantly  with  her  two  or  three  priests  who  say  I  ought 
not  to  be  here.  Mrs.  Goodell  has  been  twice  to  see  her 
with  Mrs.  Abbott.  The  emeer  is  also  kind  to  Tannoos, 
and  I  think  would  not  object  to  his  going  and  residing 
anywhere  in  his  district  with  Mr.  Smith. 


BIBLE   WORK    IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 


269 


"Mr.  Abbott  thinks  you  had  better  move  on  this 
way  soon.'' 

December  17  :  "A  few  days  ago  the  princess  here  re- 
ceived a  letter  from  the  bishop,  saying  he  had  heard 
that  Mrs.  Goodell  had  been  twice  in  company  with  Mrs. 


SYRIAN    GENTLEMAN. 

Abbott  to  see  her,  and  that  if  she  permitted  Mrs.  Good- 
ell to  enter  her  house  again,  he  should  be  under  the 
necessity  of  putting  her  under  "  the  great  excommunica- 
tion." 

The  disturbances   in   consequence  of  the  war   new» 

23  « 


270  BIBLE   WORK   IN   BIBLE    LANDS. 

having  chiefly  passed  away  at  Beirut  there  seemed  no 
reason  for  staying  away  from  our  proper  station.  We 
therefore  came  to  a  satisfactory  settlement  with  our  ven- 
erable superior,  Priest  Simeon,  engaged  animals  for  our 
goods,  and  made  our  way  by  land  in  two  days  to  Beirut. 
Public  feeling  there,  and  in  all  the  region,  settled  down 
from  its  apprehensions,  but  the  late  hurricane  in  the 
Morea  had  left  many  ominous  clouds  in  the  political 
horizon.  All  the  great  powers  of  Europe  were  agitated. 
Russia  was  seen  to  be  threatening  to  seize  the  present 
occasion  to  weaken  still  further  the  Turkish  power,  and 
to  wage  a  war  with  the  Porte  on  her  own  account.  Such 
a  war  was  distasteful  to  the  French  and  English,  and  in 
view  of  its  possibility  they  withdrew  many  of  their  rep- 
resentatives in  the  Turkish  dominions. 

About  the  1st  of  February  the  French  consul,  by 
order  of  his  ambassador,  removed  his  flag,  and  in  a  note 
to  Mr.  Abbott  assured  him  that  a  similar  order  was 
prepared  for  him,  which  order  came  accordingly  before 
the  close  of  the  month. 

On  the  14th  of  March  war  was  actually  declared  by 
Kussia,  and  though  the  fact  was  not  then  known  in 
Syria,  it  w^as  acted  upon  as  if  it  were.  Our  circum- 
stances became  very  embarrassing.  The  loss  of  our 
consul,  war  in  the  north,  pestilence  approaching  from 
the  south,*  together  with  the  cutting  off  of  commerce 
and  of  our  pecuniary  resources,  all  moved  us  to  a  con- 
sultation whether  the  divine  will  were  not  sufficiently 
indicated  that  we  should  retire  for  a  time  from  our 
field.  After  due  deliberation  and  looking  to  the  Father 
of  Lights  for  wisdom  to  direct,  w^e  decided  to  charter  for 
our  use  an  Austrian  vessel  lying  at  anchor  in  the  har- 
*  Scores  were  carried  off  daily  in  Acca  by  the  plague. 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  271 

bor,  which  was  offered  to  take  us  to  Malta.  We  com- 
menced sending  on  board  our  goods  April  24,  carefully 
wrapping  in  flag-mats  all  articles  known  to  be  susceptible 
of  the  contagion  of  the  city,  for  the  plague  had  already 
begun  its  work  there.     Including  the  families  of  our 

two  Armenians  and  that  of  Mr.  N ,  the  English 

missionary,  we  made  up  twenty-one  passengers. 

When  we  were  all  safe  on  board  we  felt  that  we  had 
much  cause  for  gratitude  for  having  been  enabled  to 
accomplish  so  successfully  a  work  to  which  we  had 
for  weeks  been  looking  forward  with  no  little  anxiety. 
It  was  at  first  doubtful  whether  we  could  find  a  con- 
venient vessel  for  so  large  a  company.  It  was  also  un- 
certain whether  we  should  be  permitted  to  embark  at  all, 
or  at  least  without  great  molestation,  especially  as  we 
were  taking  with  us  two  families  of  natives.  The  consul 
himself  had  to  steal  away,  leaving  all  his  baggage  be- 
hind him,  to  be  taken  care  of  by  his  friends. 

At  our  departure  not  an  enemy  opened  his  mouth  in 
triumph  over  us.  As  we  passed  through  the  streets,  those 
from  whom  we  might  have  expected  scorn  said  to  us,  in 
all  sobriety,  "  The  Lord  preserve  and  prosper  you !"  Our 
young  friend  Michael  Trodd  was  anxious  to  go  with  us, 
though  against  the  known  wishes  of  his  parents,  whom 
he  regarded  with  every  appearance  of  due  affection,  and 
at  the  moment  of  our  final  separation  he  clung  around 
Mr.  Smithes  neck  and  wept  outright.  Assad  Khaiat, 
who  had  been  persecuted  and  alienated  from  us,  now 
came,  and  of  his  own  accord  confessed  with  tears  his 
fault,  hoped  if  we  returned  we  should  find  him  a  dif- 
ferent person  from  what  he  had  lately  been,  and  begged 
a  constant  remembrance  in  our  prayers.  Tannoos  el 
Hadad   could   hardly  be  reconciled   to  be   torn  away 


272  BIBLE   WORK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

from  his  old  pupil  and  messmate.  He  also  would  have 
been  glad  to  go  where  we  went  and  lodge  where  we 
lodged  until  death  should  us  part,  but  it  was  made  to 
appear  his  duty  to  remain  and  serve  Christ  among  his 
countrymen,  and  he  patiently  submitted.  Priest  Antone 
took  pains  to  call  and  bid  us  farewell,  as  did  many  others 
not  to  be  named.  Some  who  we  were  persuaded  were 
specially  friendly  to  us  did  not  call,  either  on  account 
of  the  prevailing  plague  or  because  our  sudden  departure 
was  yet  a  secret  to  them. 

It  was  now  about  four  years  and  a  half  from  the  time 
that  the  first  missionaries  still  living  came  to  anchor  in 
the  roadstead  of  Beirut.  We  had  then  no  intention  of 
staying  at  that  place  any  longer  than  was  necessary  to 
obtain  animals  or  a  boat  to  take  us  onward  toward  Jeru- 
salem. We  were,  however,  prevented  from  proceeding, 
first  by  the  season,  next  by  the  advice  of  brethren  then 
on  the  ground,  and  afterward  by  a  fruitless  examination 
of  the  country  for  a  better  place  for  our  work — an 
examination  which  extended  from  Beirut  to  Hebron, 
which  answer  to  the  Dan  and  Beersheba  of  Palestine. 
Every  succeeding  year  strengthened  the  evidence  that 
our  remaining  at  Beirut  was  a  well-advised  measure,  for 
in  no  other  place,  probably,  south  of  Constantinople  could 
there  have  been  found  a  spot  where  there  was  so  much 
readiness  in  the  people  to  inquire  after  the  truth,  united 
with  so  much  safety  in  declaring  it. 

At  this  pause  in  the  progress  of  the  mission,  it  is 
natural  to  recur  to  the  events  of  its  history  to  ascertain 
of  what  practical  utility  it  has  been.  Those  who,  ac- 
cording to  the  notable  missionary  proverb,  had  been  led 
to  ^^  expect  great  things,''  were  perhaps  some  of  them 
disappointed.     But  if  the  things  it  had  done  were  not 


BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  273 

to  be  called  "great,"  it  had  accomplished  something.  It 
had  made  the  Christian  public  more  familiarly  ac- 
quainted with  the  present  condition  of  one  of  the  most 
interesting  portions  of  the  globe.  It  had  proved  the 
practicability  of  Protestant  missions  under  the  Moham- 
medan government.  It  had  exposed  to  view  some  import- 
ant traits  in  the  present  character  of  Mohammedism 
and  Popery.  It  had  made  known  to  thousands  of  Mo- 
hammedans that  the  worship  of  images  and  saints  is  not 
a  part  of  Christianity.  It  had  shown  to  thousands  of 
nominal  Christians  that  the  English,  or,  in  other  words, 
all  Protestants,  are  not  the  Free-masons  and  infidels 
which  Jesuits  and  others  had  reported  them  to  be. 
Above  all,  w^e  could  not  doubt  that  it  had  accomplished 
one  good  thing  against  which  money  and  human  labor 
and  sacrifices  are  not  to  be  laid  in  the  balance — it  had 
increased  the  number  of  that  happy  throng  who  shall 
'*  ascribe  dominion  and  glory  for  ever  and  ever  to  Him 
that  loved  them  and  washed  them  from  their  sins  in  his 
own  blood.'' 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

Operations  in  Malta — Messrs.  Whiting  and  Dwight — ^ Visit  to  the 
coast  of  Africa,  to  Greece,  to  Armenia — Labors  at  Beirut  resumed 
— New  curses — Patriarch  excommunicated  by  Jos.  Wolflf — Death 
of  Assad  Shidiak — Brummana  village — Druzes — Messrs.  Parnell 
and  Hamilton — Wortabet's  labors  in  Sidon — His  death — Two 
Jesuits — Lamartine  eulogizes  them — Outrage  of  soldiers — Traita 
of  Ibrahim  Pasha. 

TO  dwell  on  the  operations  of  the  missionaries  while 
in  Malta  with  any  degree  of  particularity  would 
not  comport  with  the  special  object  of  these  pages,  which 
is  to  record  transactions  pertaining  especially  to  Syria. 
Suffice  it  to  say  that  in  the  absence  of  Mr.  Temple,  the 
official  superintendent  of  the  press,  this  powerful  agent 
was  kept  in  full  motion,  sending  forth  as  usual  its 
various  tracts  and  books,  and  especially  working  off  the 
Armeno-Turkish  Testament,  a  translation  to  which  Mr. 
Goodell  and  his  two  Armenian  associates,  while  in  Syria, 
had  devoted  the  main  portion  of  their  time.  An  ex- 
ploring tour  on  the  neighboring  coast  of  Africa  was 
performed  by  one  of  the  brethren,  and  also  a  similar  one 
by  another,  in  company  with  the  Rev.  Dr.  Anderson, 
in  Greece  and  the  Greek  islands.* 

In  the  autumn  of  1829  the  war  in  Turkey  came  to  a 
close ;  the  English  consul  soon  after  returned  to  his  post 
at  Beirut ;  Mr.  Goodell  was  detached  from  the  work  in 

*  A  history  of  this  latter  tour,  from  the  pen  of  Dr.  Anderson,  has 
been  given  to  the  public  in  a  valuable  little  volume. 
274 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS.  275 

Syria,  to  continue  his  labors  more  directly  in  behalf  of 
the  Armenians  in  another  field,  and  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Whiting,  who  arrived  at  Malta  from  America  in  Feb- 
ruary was  substituted  in  his  place.  Mr.  Smith,  with 
the  Rey.  Mr.  Dwight,  another  newly-arrived  mission- 
ary, entered,  in  March,  upon  a  tour  of  research  in  Asia 
Minor  among  the  Armenian  nation.  Bishop  Carabet 
was  to  be  continued  in  the  employ  of  Mr.  Goodell,  and 
Wortabet,  having  nearly  lost  the  use  of  his  eyes,  left 
our  employ,  and,  returning  to  Syria,  entered  into  an 
employment  by  himself  in  Sidon,  of  which  city  his  wife 
was  a  native. 

Thus  shorn  of  its  strength,  the  station  at  Beirut  was, 
after  a  two  years'  intermission,  once  more  occupied. 
The  separation  of  the  two  families  who  had  been  so 
long  connected  in  Syria  was  attended  with  many  regrets 
on  both  sides.  On  this  subject  we  find  our  beloved 
brother  who  was  left  behind  in  Malta  expressing  him- 
self thus :  "  Our  dear  brethren  and  sisters  left  us  on  the 
1st  instant  and  sailed  in  -the  Vincitore,  a  Maltese  brig, 
directly  for  Beirut.  Again  and  again  have  they  been 
both  publicly  and  privately  commended  to  the  care  and 
guidance  of  the  great  and  good  Shepherd  who  gathers 
the  lambs  in  his  arms  and  carries  them  in  his  bosom, 
and  again  and  again  has  his  blessing  been  implored 
upon  their  labors.  To  those  of  us  who  for  many  years 
have  been  so  closely  associated  in  missionary  work,  who 
have  passed  together  through  so  many  scenes  of  trouble 
and  of  joy,  who  have  seen  so  much  of  the  goodness  of 
God  toward  our  families,  who  have  so  often  been  in  cir- 
cumstances to  comfort,  assist  and  encourage  each  other, 
and  have  so  often  borne  each  other's  burdens,  the  sepa- 
ration was   not  a  little  trying.     We  had   become  ex- 


276  BIBLE   WORK    IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

ceedingly  endeared  to  each  other  by  numerous  tender 
and  affecting  associations.  But  though  we  may  never 
meet  again  at  the  table  of  the  Lord  or  at  the  baptismal 
font,  or  be  refreshed  by  each  other's  company  again  in 
this  world,  I  trust  that  neither  this  nor  any  other  created 
thing  will  ever  be  able  to  separate  them  or  us  from  the 
love  of  God  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord/' 

On  the  morning  after  our  coming  to  anchor  at  Beirut 
we  were  visited  by  our  old  steadfast  friends  Tannoos  el 
Haddad  and  Eleeas  Fuaz,  as  well  as  by  the  English 
dragoman  with  a  congratulatory  message  from  the  con- 
sul and  an  invitation  to  his  house.  Our  friends  gave  us 
information  of  many  events  of  a  local  character  affecting 
the  interests  of  our  work.  Maallem  Aioob,  one  of  our 
chief  enemies  in  the  Custom-house,  had  been  displaced ; 
Mansoor  ed  Dahh-dahh,  another  prominent  enemy  at 
Bteddeen,  had  been  made  to  give  place  to  a  much  more 
amiable  and  reasonable  man,  the  Emeer  Ameen.  Encour- 
aged by  this  last  change,  our  young  Sheikh  Naameh  el 
Ash-shi  had  indulged  the  hope  of  obtaining  from  the 
Emeer  Besheer  the  restoration  of  his  father's  property,  and 
he  had  been  at  the  consul's  now  more  than  a  month  on 
this  business.  His  long  continuance  with  the  consul  had 
begun  again  to  trouble  the  patriarch,  and  the  latter  was 
threatening  to  issue  a  new  bull  of  excommunication 
against  him  for  his  prolonged  contact  with  the  English. 
Our  young  friend  Anton  Adam,  who  had  formerly  served 
as  a  translator,  was  also  threatened  for  a  like  offence. 
Sheikh  Girgis  of  Besherry  had  been  down  to  have  a  con- 
sultation with  our  consul  about  some  difficulty  in  which 
he  showed  himself  willing  to  receive  aid  from  a  Protest- 
ant, an  act  strictly  forbidden  by  the  patriarch.  An 
aid-de-camp  of  the  Russian  General  Diebitsch,  returning 


BIBLE   WORK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS.  277 

lately  from  a  visit  to  Jerusalem,  had  publicly  expressed 
his  extreme  disgust  at  tlie  priestly  farce  of  the  Greek 
fire  as  exhibited  at  the  holy  sepulchre.  Moreover,  Eleeas 
Fuaz  himself  had  come  forth  and  taken  a  new  and  de- 
cided stand  on  the  side  of  the  Lord. 

The  day  after  we  landed  the  Maronite  priests  repeated 
in  their  church  the  usual  warnings  and  denunciations 
against  the  heretics.  On  the  Sabbath  we  commenced 
once  more  our  customary  preaching  service  at  the  con- 
sul's. Tannoos  and  Eleeas  were  with  us,  though  neither 
of  them  understood  much  of  the  English.  They  had 
both  entirely  ceased  to  attend  worship  at  the  Greek 
church,  as  they  could  not  unite  with  the  rest  in  all  their 
ceremonies,  and  they  w^ere  unwilling  to  disturb  their 
quiet  by  appearing  singular  among  them.  Still  the 
priests  had  passed  no  sentence  of  excommunication  upon 
either  of  them.  Eleeas  in  our  Arabic  meetings  readily 
took  an  active  part  in  the  exercises  and  spoke  with 
marked  propriety.  His  change  had  been  produced  in- 
strumentally  by  the  faithful  admonitions  of  his  friend 
Tannoos. 

Mansoor  Shidiak  had  been  bereaved  of  his  wife  and 
had  himself  been  very  seriously  ill,  both  of  which  vis- 
itations he  himself  received  as  a  judgment  of  God  upon 
him  for  his  ill  treatment  of  his  brother  Assad.  Sheikh 
Naameh  informed  us  that  in  consequence  of  his  aliena- 
tion from  the  Maronite  doctrines  he  had  been  obliged  to 
give  up  his  marriage  contract  with  the  daughter  of  Is-hoc 
Turbyhh.  This  gentleman  was  not  only  a  relative  of 
the  Ash-shi  family,  but  was  a  man  of  wealth,  spoke  and 
wrote  well  in  French,  and  to  become  his  son-in-law  must 
have  been  an  honor  and  a  great  w^orldly  advantage  to 
the  young  sheikh.     If  he  really  relinquished  this  honor 

24 


278  BIBLE   WORK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

and  advantage  from  religions  principle,  it  was  what  few 
mere  men  of  the  world  would  probably  have  done. 

He  gave  us  another  piece  of  information,  namely,  that 
he  had  not  long  since  had  an  interview  with  his  Holi- 
ness the  patriarch.  Being  on  a  visit  to  some  friends  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Bkoorki,  where  the  patriarch  was 
residing,  his  friends  took  him  in  for  a  respectful  call. 
Among  other  common  topics  his  Holiness  conversed 
about  an  excommunication  which  he  himself  had  lately 
received  from  the  Protestant  missionary,  Joseph  Wolif, 
by  which  not  only  he  (the  patriarch)  but  all  his  people 
were  laid  under  a  curse.  He  promised  to  furnish  the 
sheikh  with  the  perusal  of  it,  hoping  evidently  that,  as  one 
of  the  Maronite  people  threatened  by  Wolff,  he  would 
feel  himself  insulted  by  it.*  Nothing  unkind  on  either 
side  took  place  during  the  interview. 

*  A  duplicate  of  this  paper  of  excommunication,  written  by  Wolff 
himself,  fell  into  our  hands.  It  was  couched  in  language  by  which 
his  Holiness,  St.  Joseph,  was  probably  not  often  addressed,  and  sug- 
gested thoughts  which  might  well  affect  his  conscience.  Whether  it 
was  best  to  visit  the  patriarch  with  such  an  explosion,  others,  per- 
haps, beside  his  Holiness,  might  question.  But  it  was  doubtless  the 
design  of  Mr.  Wolff  in  this  case  to  mimic  and  ridicule  the  proud  style 
of  the  patriarch  himself  in  his  anathemas,  as  his  countryman,  Luther, 
ridiculed  the  pope  in  using  papal  language,  saying,  "  I,  Dr.  Martin 
Luther,  declare  this  or  that,"  and  quoting  the  pope's  own  Latin  hex- 
ameter, "Sic  volo,  sic  jubeo,  sit  pro  ratione  voluntas." 

The  anathema  of  Wolff  was  this :  "  To  our  friend  the  Antiochian 
patriarch  of  the  sect  of  the  Maronites :  The  Lord  renew  your  heart  and 
drag  you  out  of  the  Eomish  Church.  After  bestowing  from  our  hand 
upon  you  and  upon  your  beard  the  apostolic  blessing,  we  give  you 
information  that  we  at  present  are  in  Alexandria  preaching  the  gos- 
pel to  the  Jews,  Mohammedans  and  Catholics,  and  it  has  come  to  my 
knowledge  that  Assad  Shidiak  is  still  in  prison  by  your  order. 
Therefore,  I  command  you  forthwith  to  set  him  at  liberty,  and  if  you 
do  it  not  on  arrival  of  this  letter,  and  kneel  down  before  him  submis- 
sively and  kiss  his  hand  and  beg  his  pardon,  I  will  send  a  herm  upon 


BIBLE   WORK    IN   BIBLE    LANDS.  279 

A  letter  had  been  received  by  the  Shidiak  family  at 
Hadet,  signed  and  sealed  by  the  patriarch,  giving  them 
intelligence  that  Assad  Shidiak  had  died  of  fever  at 
Canobeen  on  the  25th  of  September,  after  an  illness  of 
ten  days.  The  family  observed  the  usual  mourning 
ceremonies,  and  the  surrounding  friends,  including  all 
the  emeers,  paid  to  the  family  in  Hadet  their  visits  of 
condolence  according  to  the  custom  of  the  country.  Re- 
ports of  the  death  of  this  Christian  martyr  had  often 
previously  come  abroad,  but  none  of  them  with  the  ap- 
parent authenticity  of  the  present.  None  had  come  with 
the  signature  and  seal  of  the  patriarch,  and  none  had  been 
received  and  acted  upon  as  credible  by  the  family  and  the 
public  men  of  the  village.  Besides,  from  that  day  for- 
ward no  man  was  ever  found  to  say  that  he  had  visited 
the  convent  of  Canobeen  and  discovered  that  the  pris- 
oner was  living.  We  have  therefore  good  reason  to  be- 
lieve that  his  death  actually  occurred  at  the  time  specified. 

As  to  the  manner  of  his  death  it  was  strange  that 
during  a  fever  of  ten  days  no  word  should  have  been 
sent  to  the  family.  It  was  more  commonly  reported  by 
those  who  were  in  a  situation  to  judge  that  the  event 
was  sudden  and  unexpected.  In  regard  to  a  burial,  it 
appears  that  he  had  none.  He  could  not  be  buried  in 
consecrated  ground.  His  body  was  therefore  taken  out, 
it  was  said,  a  little  distance  from  the  convent  and  laid 
by  the  side  of  a  wall,  the  stones  of  which  were  thrown 
down  upon  it.  For  a  heretic,  who  deserved  no  burial 
at  all,  this  was  thought  to  be  burial  enough. 

you,  and  upon  all  the  Maronites,  and  upon  the  Pope  of  Rome,  who  is 
anti-christ,  and  you  shall  go  to  perdition.  Repent,  therefore,  and 
believe  in  Christ.  (Signed)  Joseph  Wolff, 

"  The  Englishman  and  missionary  of  Jesus  Christ." 


280  BIBLE   WORK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

But  neither  the  hand  and  seal  of  the  patriarch  nor  all 
the  mourning  ceremonies  of  the  relatives  and  friends  of 
the  Shidiak  family  could  convince  all  minds  that  the 
man  was  really  dead.  He  was  at  first  decoyed  into  the 
patriarch's  power  by  fraud,  and  it  was  believed  that  the 
same  fraud  would  naturally  be  used  to  maintain  that 
power,  and  that  the  story  of  the  patriarch  about  the 
man's  death  was  fabricated  to  rid  himself  of  the  trouble 
of  constant  w^atching  to  prevent  efforts  from  without  to 
liberate  his  prisoner.  Even  one  of  the  mountain  princes, 
though  himself  a  Maronite,  was  a  sharer  in  this  incredu- 
lity as  to  the  death  of  Assad. 

As  long  as  a  shadow  of  doubt  hung  over  the  fate  of 
this  man  of  God,  it  was  a  thing  to  be  desired,  if  oppor- 
tunity offered,  that  the  convent  should  be  examined  and 
the  fact  of  his  life  or  death  ascertained.  Such  an  oppor- 
tunity was  presented  when  in  1832  Syria  fell  under  the 
power  of  Ibrahim  Pasha.  He  readily  gave  leave  to  a 
young  Scottish  merchant  to  go,  furnished  with  an  escort 
of  soldiers,  and  search  the  convent  from  top  to  bottom, 
which  was  actually  done  in  presence  of  the  patriarch. 
The  soldiers  went  heartily  and  rudely  to  their  work, 
paying  no  deference  to  the  feelings  of  his  Holiness,  open- 
ing every  cell  and  closet  and  striking  every  chest  where 
he  might  be  concealed,  and  calling  upon  Assad  to  "come 
fo7'thJ'  But,  alas,  the  patriarch  had  finished  his  work 
too  early  for  them.  "  There  was  no  voice  nor  any  that 
answered.''  He  will  "come  forth"  only  at  the  voice  of 
the  last  trump,  when  "  the  trumpet  shall  sound  and  the 
dead  shall  be  raised  incorruptible,  and  we  shall  be 
changed."  And  oh  how  changed  will  he  appear ! — raised 
from  the  filth  and  squalidness  of  a  three  years'  dungeon 
to  the  dignity  of  a  martyr's  crown,  and  arrayed  in  the 


BIBLE   WORK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS.  281 

"  fine  linen  white  and  clean,  which  is  the  righteousness 
of  saints." 

During  the  summer  of  1831  a  residence  was  obtained 
by  the  author  on  the  mountains,  at  the  village  of 
Brummana,  under  the  government  of  Druzes.  We 
were  visited  freely  and  treated  with  all  respect  both  by 
the  authorities  and  by  the  people.  The  Emeer  Man- 
soor,  the  chief  ruler  of  the  place,  was  a  man  of  sixty 
years,  having  a  powerful  frame,  of  more  than  six  feet  in 
stature  and  of  dignified  deportment.  He  had  a  large 
family ;  two  or  three  of  the  sons  were  men  and  had  in- 
fluence in  the  government  of  the  place ;  a  daughter  of 
his,  Druze  as  she  was,  became  the  wife  of  the  Emeer 
Besheer  the  less,  of  the  Shehab  family,  and  a  Maronite. 
The  family  was  therefore  had  in  estimation.  The  sons 
had  either  professed  Christianity  or  were  about  to  do  so. 
The  father  was  not  a  Druze  of  the  initiated  class  called 
aakils,  neither  was  he  careful  to  be  thought  a  great  ad- 
mirer of  the  Koran.  He  had  but  one  wife,  and  con- 
demned the  practice  of  polygamy.  In  conversation  on 
the  liberty  which  the  Koran  gives  of  having  many 
wives,  he  said,  "I  tell  my  Muslim  friends  the  angel 
Gabriel  never  brought  such  a  precept  down  to  the 
prophet;  he  brought  that  down  himself."  Even  the 
aakils  among  the  Druzes  of  the  village  were  forward  to 
court  our  acquaintance.  When  a  short  call  was  made 
upon  us  by  the  chief  reader  in  their  khulweh  (church),  he 
was  found  very  aifable  and  gentle  in  his  manners,  often 
giving  his  hand  in  token  of  assent  and  listening  with 
attention  to  all  that  was  said  about  the  gospel.  Four  or 
five  others  were  present  to  listen  and  to  assist  in  the 
conversation.  The  aakil  declared  that  the  Druzes  did 
not  profess  to  have  any  new  revelation  from  God ;  no 

24* 


282  BIBLE   WORK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

inspired  book  had  come  from  heaven  since  the  Koran ; 
the  Druzes  had  their  peculiar  book  of  j^rai/ers,  but  no 
book  from  God  like  the  Law,  the  Psalms,  the  Gospel 
and  the  Koran.  All  present  said  they  believed  in  the 
gospel. 

It  may  have  been  an  hour  that  the  conversation  con- 
tinued, and  at  the  end  the  aakil  begged  a  copy  of  the 
Bible  and  of  the  "Dairyman's  Daughter.''  After  this 
the  brother  of  this  man  was  at  our  house,  and  said,  "  Sir, 
it  is  your  bounden  duty  to  come  and  read  to  us  the  gospel 
at  our  Thursday  evening  meetings."  Accordingly,  on 
that  same  evening  four  or  five  women  came  to  conduct 
both  the  missionary  and  his  wife  to  their  meeting. 
Their  reader  was  present  when  we  entered,  and  he  and 
four  or  five  others  rose  respectfully  and  pointed  us  to 
the  "highest  room"  in  the  company.  A  few  remarks 
only  were  made,  and  then  the  reader  called  upon  a 
young  man  near  by  to  assist  him  in  commencing  their 
services.  The  aakil  placed  himself  near  the  light,  and, 
sitting  erect,  began  reciting  the  preface  to  the  Koran. 
After  this  came  two  or  three  other  books,  partly,  as  it 
appeared,  of  poetry  and  partly  of  prose,  including  a  few 
leaves  of  the  Koran.  There  was  no  exercise  but  read- 
ing, with  now  and  then  a  word  of  explanation;  no 
rising,  kneeling  or  bowing  the  face  to  the  ground,  after 
the  manner  of  the  Muslims.  But  evidently  this  meet- 
ing was  not  to  be  taken  as  a  specimen  of  one  of  the  more 
secret  meetings,  where  aakils  only  are  admitted.  Many 
of  those  present  at  this  meeting  were  of  the  uninitiated, 
whom  they  call  jah-hils. 

When  their  reading  Avas  finished  a  brother  of  the  reader 
came  and  asked  if  we  had  brought  our  Bible.  As  we 
had  not,  a  friendly  Druze  woman  brought  forward  a 


BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS.  283 

New  Testament  that  had  been  given  her,  and  they  h*s- 
teued  attentively  to  the  reading  of  the  Sermon  on  the 
Mount,  with  brief  expository  remarks. 

At  the  close  of  this  latter  reading  they  were,  of  course, 
profuse  in  their  professions  of  admiration  at  the  doctrines 
of  Jesus ;  wished  to  be  learners  of  us ;  they  were  "  very 
near"  to  us  in  regard  to  religion — that  is,  not  having 
images,  etc.  It  was  told  them  in  reply  that  in  order  to 
be  very  near  to  us  it  would  be  quite  necessary  for  them 
to  believe  two  things  which  the  Koran  denies— ^rs^, 
that  Seidna  Esa  (the  Lord  Jesus)  actually  died ;  and 
secondly,  that  he  died  for  our  sins.  They  smiled,  but 
made  no  reply. 

After  that  evening,  as  long  as  we  remained  in  the 
place,  the  Druzes  came  daily  to  our  house  to  hear  about 
the  gospel,  and  on  the  succeeding  Sabbath  about  a  dozen 
came  in  to  attend  our  evening  devotions. 

In  our  joint  report  for  the  year  (1831)  we  wrote  thus : 
"  Some  time  since  a  Druze  woman  at  Beirut  was  in  the 
habit  of  coming  daily  to  the  house  of  our  school-teacher 
to  listen  to  the  reading  of  the  scriptures  and  religious 
conversation.  Her  face  was  often  bathed  in  tears  while 
she  repeated  ever  and  anon,  ^  That's  the  truth  !'  Her 
coming  was  interrupted  by  the  prevalence  of  the  plague 
among  the  people,  and,  as  she  never  came  again,  the  in- 
ference was  that  she  was  one  of  the  victims  of  the  dis- 
ease. AVe  have  hope  that  she  died  a  penitent  believer. 
A  man  somewhat  advanced  in  years,  and  who  was  one 
of  the  aakils,  came  also  to  the  house  of  the  same  teacher, 
and,  after  hearing  and  opposing  the  truth  for  some  time, 
at  length  gave  up  his  opposition,  and  as  a  proof  of  his 
conviction  offered  to  bring  us  one  of  the  secret  books  of 
his  religion,  with  which  offer  he  has  since  complied.     A 


284  BIBLE   WORK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

considerable  Dumber  among  tbe  princely  families  of  the 
Druzes  have  within  a  few  years  become  nominally 
Christian.  Two  or  three  families  or  clans  that  remain 
will  very  likely  think  it  expedient  to  follow  their 
example.  But  the  common  people  do  not  as  yet  seem 
disposed  to  imitate  their  princes.  Should  our  mission 
be  continued,  the  experiment  will  no  doubt  ere  long  be 
fully  tried,  whether  a  pure  gospel  may  not  produce  on 
this  despised  and  uninstructed  people  results  which  the 
deformed  Christianity  of  this  country  has  never  yet 
been  able  to  effect. 

"  The  Nusairiyeh  of  the  parts  beyond  Tripoli,  said  by 
some  to  be  a  race  of  Druzes,  but  more  erratic  and  un- 
civilized than  they,  have  been  furnished  by  us  with  a 
few  copies  of  the  word  of  life,  which,  as  the  agent  as- 
sured us,  they  had  begun  to  read  with  great  satisfaction. 
A  missionary  station  at  Tripoli  or  Ladikeea  seems  de- 
sirable, not  merely  for  the  benefit  of  the  Christian  part 
of  the  population,  but  also  in  special  reference  to  this 
half  pagan  people. 

"In  failure  of  all  reinforcements  of  laborers  from 
home,  it  has  been  with  peculiar  pleasure  that  we  have 
enjoyed  the  correspondence  and  aid  of  a  company  of 
English  brethren  at  Aleppo,  who,  though  originally 
destined  to  a  station  farther  on  in  the  East,  have  hitherto 
been  providentially  detained  on  our  coast.  Two  of  them 
are  at  present  with  us  at  Beirut,  imparting  to  us  that 
strength  and  comfort  which  are  the  natural  result  of 
familiar  Christian  intercourse.  For  ourselves  we  should 
be  willing  their  detention  from  their  prospective  field 
should  be  indefinitely  prolonged,  but  we  would  not  dare 
oppose  what  might  seem  to  them  to  be  a  call  of  Provi- 
dence.    We  are  anxiously   hoping  for  an  addition  of 


BIBLE    WOBK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS.  285 

laborers  in  our  section  of  the  Lord's  vineyard.  May 
our  hope  not  be  long  deferred  !  Alone  we  feel  too  weak 
in  many  respects  to  answer  the  natural  calls  of  the  work 
here  and  the  wishes  and  the  probable  expectations  of 
American  Christians." 

The  two  English  brethren  above  referred  to  were 
Messrs.  Parnell  and  Hamilton,  the  former  the  eldest  son 
of  Sir  Henry  Parnell,  who  occupied  a  distinguished  po- 
sition under  the  British  government.  They  were  mem- 
bers of  a  company  who  had  set  out  on  a  missionary  enter- 
prise at  their  own  charges,  and,  having  arrived  at  Aleppo, 
were  intending  to  proceed  with  Messrs.  Newman  and 
Cronin,  their  associates  at  that  city,  to  unite  with  Dr. 
Groves,  already  at  Bagdad.  Mrs.  Parnell  had  accom- 
panied her  husband  as  far  as  Ladikeea,  near  which  place 
she  met  with  a  fall  from  her  horse  and  died  of  the  in- 
juries she  then  received.  These  brethren  came  to  make 
our  acquaintance  and  witness  our  mode  of  operation. 
Mr.  Hamilton,  from  his  declining  health,  concluded  to 
return  to  England.  His  companion,  after  a  three 
months'  visit,  returned  to  his  associates  at  Aleppo,  hav- 
ing first  shown  his  good- will  toward  us  by  ordering  out 
from  England,  in  behalf  of  our  enterprise,  a  lithographic 
press  and  a  munificent  addition  to  our  mission  library. 
The  company  left  Aleppo  for  Bagdad  on  the  19th  of 
April.  In  four  days  they  came  to  the  large  village  of 
Aintab,  where  they  were  detained  seventeen  days  wait- 
ing for  a  caravan.  They  sold  here  twenty-seven  copies 
of  the  Armeno-Turkish  Scriptures,  and  were  told  they 
might  have  found  sale  for  two  hundred  if  they  had  had 
them.  Copies  of  Mr.  Goodell's  translation  went  oif 
freely,  though  some  were  shy  of  them  because  they  had 
not  been  authorized  by  the  Church.     The  company,  at 


286  BIBLE   WORK   IN   BIBLE    LANDS. 

the  close  of  their  stay,  fell  under  the  displeasure  of  the 
governor  for  selling  a  book  or  two  to  Muslims,  and  an 
order  was  given  them  to  leave  the  place,  which  they  had 
already  engaged  to  do  by  a  caravan  that  Avas  just  on  the 
move.  However,  a  popular  excitement  was  beginning 
to  rise  against  them,  and  they  could  not  get  free  from 
the  village  without  a  few  volleys  of  stones. 

The  visit  of  this  little  company  to  Aintab  at  this  time 
may  have  been  a  distant  exciting  cause  of  that  remark- 
able spirit  of  inquiry  and  great  success  of  the  gospel 
which  have  since  made  that  place  so  remarkable. 

Through  the  influence  of  Wortabet,  our  zealous  Ar- 
menian brother  in  Sidon,  an  earnest  inquiry  prevailed 
about  the  scriptures  and  the  way  to  be  saved.  A  dis- 
cussion of  the  Christian  doctrines  in  writing  was  set  on 
foot,  and  on  account  of  Wortabet's  want  of  familiarity 
with  the  Arabic  we  engaged  our  Arabic  teacher,  Tan- 
noos,  to  go  to  liis  assistance.  He  returned  in  a  few  days 
confirming  the  accuracy  of  the  reports  which  our  sanguine 
brother  had  sent  us.  He  brought  at  the  same  time  a  let- 
ter from  Wortabet,  saying,  "  My  neighbor  Nahass,  since 
my  answer  to  him,  says  to  the  people  (who  saw  my  proofs 
about  the  pope  and  who  w^ent  to  him  to  ask  about  the 
matter)  that  their  fathers  were  mistaken  in  receiving  the 
pope  as  head  of  the  church  of  Christ.  Two-thirds  of 
the  people  here  are  not  fasting,  but  are  eating  meat  in 
this  Lent  openly,  and  the  priests  are  not  able  to  say  a 
word  to  them.  The  people  come  to  me  always,  and  I 
am  engaged  with  them  daily  in  respect  to  the  evangel- 
ical way.  Many  things  there  are  to  be  written  to  you 
if  they  were  not  dangerous  at  these  times  of  war.'' 

Mr.  Nicolayson  also,  who  went  to  aid  the  native 
brethren  at  Sidon,  writes  thus :  ^^  As  the  press  of  busi- 


BIBLE   WORK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS.  287 

ness  at  Wortabet's  magazine  increases,  conversations  and 
discussions  increase.  By  the  blessing  of  God  I  trust 
much  good  will  result  from  it.  Yesterday  we  had  a 
long  and  interesting  discussion  with  a  respectable  Mus- 
lim from  the  camp  of  Acca,  in  which  he  frankly  avowed 
that  the  more  intelligent  and  reflecting  Muslims  now-a- 
days  own  that  they  have  no  solid  hope  of  salvation, 
being  well  aware  that  such  is  the  state  of  morals  among 
them  that  they  cannot  possibly  be  received  to  heaven ; 
and  as  to  Mohammed's  power  to  carry  them  there,  this 
is  believed  by  ignorant  fanatics  only. 

"This  morning  the  same  Muslim  came  again,  and  with 
him  an  Armenian  who  had  accompanied  him  yesterday 
and  taken  part  in  the  discussion.  The  Muslim  said,  ^  I 
am  going  to  the  camp  to-day,  but  I  leave  you  this  man  to 
be  further  instructed  by  you,  for  he  is  still  in  the  dark.' 
A  Ions:  conversation  ensued  between  AYortabet  and  this 
Armenian,  which  the  former  closed  at  the  end  of  four 
hours  with  a  most  affectionate  and  truly  eloquent  ad- 
dress on  regeneration,  telling  him  that  without  this  all 
pretence  to  religion  is  boshJ^ 

Subsequently  Wortabet  writes :  "  The  keeper  of  the 
journal  of  Ibrahim  Pasha,  as  he  is  my  friend,  came  to 
my  magazine  and  told  me  something  useful  to  all  nations 
which  Mohammed  Ali  Pasha  desires  to  do,  but  I  cannot 
explain  to  you.  Mr.  Nicolayson,  when  he  comes,  will 
know  and  write  it  to  you. 

"  Hannah  Bah-hari  [pasha's  prime  minister]  sent  me 
his  salaam  by  the  writer  of  the  journal.  He  was  com- 
ing from  Acca  and  is  going  northward  to  join  Ibrahim 
Pasha,  and  he  asked  me  many  things  before  many  peo- 
ple here  about  the  kingdom  of  Christ.  I  told  him,  be- 
fore Jews  and  Turks,  as  much  as  I  know,  and  he  was 


288  BIBLE   WORK    IN   BIBLE    LANDS. 

very  glad  to  hear  me.  He  is  a  Turk  truly,  but  an  in- 
telligent one.'' 

Wortabet  hints  in  the  above  letter  that  he  is  expect- 
ing the  arrival  of  Mr.  Nicolayson  at  Sidon,  and  that  he 
will  write  on  some  important  subjects  more  fully  than 
he  himself  was  able  to  do.  Mr.  Nicolayson's  predicted 
letter  was  this : 

"  Could  Wortabet  write  you  himself,  he  would  have 
much  to  tell  you,  but  I  shall  condense  it  as  much  as 
possible.  The  work  among  Jews  and  Christians  has 
continued  as  usual  without  change,  but  as  it  regards 
Muslims  it  has  increased  very  much  in  importance  and 
publicity.     It  is,  indeed,  such  as  to  astonish  very  many. 

"  As  to  what  he  has  hinted  to  you  concerning  Moham- 
med Ali's  plans,  as  communicated  to  him  by  the  chief 
journal-keeper  of  Ibrahim,  it  is  to  this  effect :  Wortabet 
had  been  explaining  to  him  the  expectations  which  the 
scriptures  warrant  us  to  entertain  respecting  the  speedy 
establishment  of  the  Messiah's  kingdom  in  peace  and 
righteousness.  This  led  the  above-mentioned  personage 
to  remark  that  should  Mohammed  Ali  be  questioned  as 
to  his  designs  if  successful,  he  would  declare  his  inten- 
tion to  be  to  dethrone  Sultan  Mahmood  for  his  injustice 
and  incapacity,  and  to  place  his  son  on  the  throne,  with 
the  condition  that  he  should  receive  forty-four  counsel- 
ors, which  would  give  the  government  the  nature  of  a 
limited  monarchy.  The  object  of  this  change  should  be 
to  put  an  end  to  all  war  and  oppression  and  to  establish 
universal  peace  and  equality,  and  for  this  purpose  he 
would  have  the  new  government  formed  by  the  advice 
and  aid  of  the  European  powers,  and  its  great  object 
secured  by  mutual  compacts  and  treaties  with  them." 

Three  days  after  the  above  Mr.  Nicolayson  writes : 


BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS.  289 

"The  Jews  give  me  no  peace  till  I  scrape  together 
whatever  can  be  found  in  the  shape  of  Hebrew  Bibles 
and  psalters,  that  they  may  purchase  them.  To-day  we 
have  been  taken  up  almost  all  the  time  with  Jews  and 
Muslims.  Among  the  latter  is  a  certain  Naseer  Aga,  a 
Damascene,  who  is  often  very  useful  to  cut  short  some 
of  the  false  reasonings  of  the  rest.  He  does  not  allow 
them  to  assert  that  the  gospel  we  possess  is  corrupted 
and  different  from  the  original." 

Thus  was  our  ardent  and  unwearied  Armenian  brother 
proceeding  in  his  career  of  usefulness  when  we  received 
an  alarming  letter  from  Mr.  Nicolayson  that  he  was 
dangerously  ill.  Two  pious  young  men  who  were  with 
us  set  off  immediately  to  render  him  aid.  But  human 
aid  was  found  to  be  unavailing.  The  first  subsequent 
word  respecting  him  was  that  he  was  no  better,  and  the 
second  was  that  he  was  no  more. 

The  following  extract  of  a  letter  from  his  wife  is  worth 
preserving.  It  describes  a  conversation  with  her  hus- 
band after  indications  had  begun  to  appear  of  occasional 
wanderings  of  mind : 

"We  asked  him,  'Where  are  you?'  He  replied, 
'  With  the  merciful  Jesus,  and  he  is  with  me.'  '  AVhere 
is  Jesus  V  '  He  is  present  in  every  place.'  '  Is  he  near 
you  or  afar  off?'     '  He  is  near  at  my  side.' 

"  We  asked  him  various  questions,  which  he  answered 
correctly,  repeating  some  passages  from  the  gospel.  He 
remained  in  this  situation,  answering  questions  -which 
we  put  to  him,  until  sunrise  on  Monday,  September  10, 
after  which  he  was  not  able  to  speak.  An  hour  and  a 
half  before  noon  his  spirit  left  this  world  of  trouble  and 
went  to  Jesus  his  beloved,  in  whom  he  trusted." 

At  the  time  of  the  funeral  services,  to  the  disgrace  of 

25 


290  BIBLE   WORK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

humanity  an  altercation  arose  in  the  miclst  of  the  solem- 
nities. The  grave  had  been  prepared  in  the  cemetery 
of  the  Greek  Catholics.  It  was  consecrated  ground, 
and  according  to  papal  law  no  heretical,  unbelieving 
corpse  could  be  permitted  to  rest  in  a  place  so  holy.  A 
number  of  men,  therefore,  united  in  declaring  that  the 
law  of  their  cemetery  should  not  be  violated.  What 
should  be  done  ?  The  procession  had  reached  the  grave 
and  were  waiting.  It  seemed  as  if  they  must  take  the 
dead  back  to  his  house.  But  Yoosef  Lufloofy,  brother- 
in-law  of  the  deceased,  boldly  stood  forth  and  asserted 
his  right  to  at  least  as  much  of  that  cemetery  as  con- 
tained the  bones  of  his  own  brother,  long  since  dead, 
and  declared  that  there  his  brother-in-law  should  lie. 
So  saying,  he  seized  the  shovel  and  fell  to  work.  The 
grave  was  soon  opened  without  opposition,  and  the  two 
dead  were  left,  brother-in-law  with  brother,  Protestant 
and  Catholic  slumbering  together  in  peace,  and  no  ap- 
prehensions are  entertained  that  either  of  them  on  the 
resurrection  morn  will  complain  of  having  been  defiled 
by  the  bones  of  the  other. 

There  were  two  Jesuit  missionaries,  a  German  and  a 
Frenchman,  who,  according  to  the  established  rule  of 
the  papacy  for  counteracting  and  neutralizing  Protestant 
influence,  were  about  this  time  commencing  labors  in  the 
vicinity  of  Beirut.  They  were  occupying  the  college 
establishment  at  Antoora,  from  which  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Lewis  had  been  formerly  driven.  Lamartine,  the  French 
poet,  while  for  a  time  he  was  residing  in  Beirut,  says  of 
them :  "  The  two  young  fathers  often  came  to  visit  us  at 
Beirut,  and  afforded  us  a  society  as  agreeable  as  unex- 
pected.'' In  regard  to  their  work  and  success  he  re- 
marks:  "They  neglected  no  means  or  opportunity  of 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS.  291 

propagating  among  the  Druzes  some  ideas  of  Christian- 
ity, but  the  effect  of  their  proceedings  was  confined  to 
baptizing  in  secret,  and,  even  unknown  to  the  parents, 
young  children  of  families  into  which  they  had  introduced 
themselves  under  pretence  of  giving  medical  advice.  I  be- 
lieve they  will  return  to  Europe  without  having  suc- 
ceeded in  naturalizing  in  Lebanon  a  taste  for  more  ex- 
tended knowledge.  The  French  father  was  worthy  of  a 
professorship  at  Rome  or  Paris.'^  Speaking  of  their 
failure  he  says,  "It  was  owing  to  this  simple  reason,  viz., 
that  the^'e  are  no  politics  in  the  religion  of  the  East,  and 
therefore  Catholicism  has  no  means  of  domination.  Now, 
as  it  is  by  human  means  chiefly  that  the  Jesuitical 
system  has  acted  and  does  act  upon  religion,  this  coun- 
try does  not  suit  it."  * 

One  hot  day  in  summer,  while  an  encampment  of  the 
pasha's  soldiers  were  lying  near  the  walls  outside  the 
city,  some  of  them  strolled  into  our  enclosure  and  began 
plucking  the  fruit  and  eating.  Our  house-servant  went 
to  warn  them  off,  and  a  quarrel  commenced  between 
them  in  which  stones  were  thrown  very  freely.  One  of 
the  soldiers  fell  with  a  bad  gash  in  the  forehead,  the 
others  ran  down  to  the  camp.  As  a  number  of  us  were 
gathered  about  the  fallen  combatant  examining  his 
wound  and  binding  it  up,  a  little  party  from  the  camp, 
having  got  the  news,  came  rushing  into  the  garden 
armed  with  muskets  and  saying  hurriedly,  "  Where  is 
the  guilty  man  ?  Where  is  he  ?"  holding  their  guns  in 
readiness  to  blow  the  man  through  if  they  could  see  him. 
The  children  were  affrighted  and  ran,  crying  out  with 
terror,  while  to  increase  their  excitement  the  soldiers 
leveled  their  guns  at  them  as  if  they  would  shoot  them. 
*  Itinerary,  Vol.  II.,  p.  43. 


292  BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

The  guilty  man  who  threw  the  missile  was  a  mile  oif 
ere  this,  and  they,  perceiving  no  one  present  that  showed 
any  signs  of  guilt,  and  supposing  that  the  Frank  who 
stood  there  supporting  the  wounded  man  and  fixing  on 
his  bandage  must  have  had  something  to  do  with  it, 
seized  him  at  a  venture  and  conducted  him  by  the  arms 
out  into  the  street  and  toward  the  camp.  Along  the 
street  were  crowds  of  other  soldiers  whom  curiosity  or 
indignation  had  brought  out  from  the  camp,  who,  seeing 
a  man  dragged  out  like  a  murderer,  thought  him  to  be 
the  true  culprit,  and  thought  it  good  enough  for  him  to 
receive  a  little  chastising  before  he  was  crucified,  and  so 
began  a  sort  of  gauntlet  execution  with  slaps  and  cuffs 
and  such  like  from  behind.  One  man  broke  a  staff  over 
his  shoulder,  the  broken  piece  whizzing  by  and  striking 
before  him  in  the  sand.  Another  came  to  the  front, 
brandishing  his  gun  and  twisting  his  face  and  eyes  into 
all  the  contortions  of  a  fury.  Being  brought  to  the 
middle  of  the  camp,  they  bound  his  wrists  together  be- 
hind him  and  seated  him  flat  on  the  open  ground.  He 
must  have  been  a  ludicrous  object  to  behold,  in  the  midst 
of  a  thousand  spectators  looking  on,  squatted  down  with- 
out a  sign  of  a  seat  (as  a  Frank  never  sits),  without  a 
carpet  or  a  mat  (as  a  decent  Arab  never  sits),  his  coat 
torn  open  in  the  back,  his  hat  crushed  in  at  the  side,  his 
hands  and  arms  drawn  back  outof  position,  and  passers- 
by  stopping  to  gaze,  sneer  and  spit  at  him. 

His  position  was  not  only  ridiculous,  but  somewhat 
uncomfortable  withal.  To  sit  bent  in  the  middle  at  an 
angle  of  ninety  degrees,  without  arms  before  to  balance 
and  nothing  behind  to  support,  soon  becomes  wearisome. 
Then  there  was  the  scorching  sand  beneath  and  a  mid- 
day summer's  sun  above;  the  tight  ligature  was  painful, 


BIBLE    WORK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS.  293 

and  soon  destroyed  all  motion  and  nearly  all  sense  of 
feeling  in  his  hands.  What  some  avenging  brother  of 
the  wounded,  possibly  dead,  man,  coming  from  his 
bloody  corpse,  might  do  from  behind,  he  could  not  see, 
but  he  could  not  help  imagining  to  himself  what  kind 
of  a  sensation  it  would  be  to  feel  the  plunge  of  a  bayonet 
into  his  back,  and  what  a  tremendous  change  might  in 
one  moment  more  be  wrought  in  the  mode  and  place  of 
his  existence.     But  his  hour  had  not  come. 

News  of  the  occurrence  had  spread  in  all  directions. 
Crowds  of  spectators  from  within  and  from  without  the 
city  were  collected  about  the  camp-ground  to  witness 
the  possible  execution  of  a  Frank.  The  first  man  that 
presented  himself  to  attempt  anything  that  looked  like 
interference  was  our  newly-arrived  brother  Dodge.  As 
he  attempted  to  approach  he  was  rudely  driven  back, 
and  stood  with  the  crowd  greatly  embarrassed.  Next 
the  dragoman  of  the  English  consul  passed  by  in  sight, 
but  was  not  allowed  to  come  within  speaking  distance. 
The  English  consul-general  in  full  uniform,  with  his 
mounted  janizaries  and  other  attendants,  next  appeared, 
coming  at  full  gallop  as  if  they  intended  to  effect  a  res- 
cue by  a  coup  cle  main.  Instantly  the  whole  camp  was 
roused,  the  drums  beat,  stones  flew  like  hail,  bayonets 
bristled  and  hedged  up  the  passage.  The  strife  was 
short.  The  consul,  yielding  to  such  immense  odds,  left 
the  Egyptians  masters  of  the  field,  and,  drawing  off  his 
forces  in  good  order,  made  his  way  by  a  circuitous  route 
into  the  city. 

The  concourse  of  citizens,  excited  by  these  novel 
movements,  continued  to  increase  insomuch  that  the 
commander  of  the  neighboring  castle  overlooking  the 
camp-ground  became  alarmed  for  the  safety  of  the  sol- 

25  « 


294  BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

diery,  and  was  seen  arranging  liis  cannon  so  as  to  sweep 
in  the  direction  of  the  multitude  in  case  any  violence 
should  be  attempted  against  the  soldiers.  At  the  end 
of  about  forty  minutes  the  governor  of  the  city  was  seen, 
accompanied  by  the  American  consul  and  other  officials, 
issuing  from  the  gate  of  the  city  and  approaching  the 
camp.  The  Egyptians,  knowing  their  errand  and  not 
daring  any  further  to  trespass  on  the  authority  of  the 
civil  government,  quietly  gave  up  their  prisoner.  He  was 
taken,  bound  as  he  was,  to  the  governor's  palace,  where 
in  a  large  open  courtyard  were  sitting  in  solemn  conclave 
all  the  European  consuls,  with  their  vice-consuls,  drago- 
mans, etc.,  as  well  as  the  governor,  judge  and  other  dig- 
nitaries of  the  city.  The  wounded  man  was  also  brought 
in  in  a  senseless  state  and  laid  before  them  on  the  pave- 
ment of  the  court.  They  had  just  begun  to  interchange 
views  as  to  what  measures  should  be  taken  to  repair  the 
outrage  of  the  soldiers  when  one  of  the  subordinate 
officers,  who  had  brought  in  the  wounded  man,  glancing 
his  eyes  indignantly  at  the  Franks  and  speaking  in  an 
undertone,  vented  his  spite  by  threatening  terrible  ven- 
geance in  case  the  man  should  die.  M.  Jorelle,  the 
French  vice-consul,  overheard  the  speech  and  immedi- 
ately rose  and  said  loudly, 

"  Gentlemen,  I  stay  here  no  longer.  If  in  the  very 
palace  of  the  governor  of  this  city  we  cannot  be  secure 
from  insult  and  from  threats  of  assassination  by  these 
soldiers,  it  is  time  for  us  to  look  out  for  our  own  safety.^' 

The  judge  looked  up  with  open  mouth  as  if  thunder- 
struck. The  whole  company  rose  from  their  seats,  and 
the  consuls,  agreeing  to  meet  at  the  English  consulate, 
passed  out,  and  the  whole  assemblage  dispersed.  At  this 
second  meeting,  the  consuls  decided  to  draw  up  a  suit- 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS.  295 

able  representation  of  the  insolence  and  violence  of  the 
Egyptian  soldiery,  and  to  demand  proper  measures  to 
repress  them,  and  that  this  document,  with  the  signatures 
of  the  whole  consular  body,  be  forwarded  to  the  pasha 
immediately.  This  being  done  all  retired  to  their 
homes. 

At  the  end  of  three  months  a  court  appointed  by  the 
pasha  was  organized  at  Beirut,  and  the  soldiers  were 
brought  to  trial  in  presence  of  the  American  consul. 
The  sentence  agreed  on,  and  announced  by  the  judges 
to  the  consul,  was  a  punishment  of  the  soldiers,  gradu- 
ated according  to  their  different  degrees  of  criminality, 
but  the  servant  who  threw  the  stone  they  left  to  the 
discretion  of  the  consul,  to  be  dealt  with  as  he  saw  fit. 

Soon  after  this  Mr.  Chasseaud  received  a  communica- 
tion from  his  Highness  the  pasha,  officially  confirming 
the  sentence  of  the  court  in  regard  to  the  soldiers,  but 
concluding  with  these  remarkable  words  :  "  It  is  known 
to  you  that  according  to  the  decision  of  the  court  afore- 
said, it  was  determined  that  the  servant  of  the  Frank, 
who  threw  the  stone,  be  subjected  to  a  punishment  of 
three  hundred  stripes,  .  .  .  and  you  must  know  that  this 
punishment  will  be  insisted  on.^^  The  consul  was 
highly  offended  at  the  deception  practiced  by  the  judges, 
and  determined  to  ignore  their  report  altogether.  The 
servant  absented  himself  from  the  neighborhood  for  a 
time,  and  nothing  was  ever  again  said  about  him  or 
about  the  report  against  him.  He  might  have  been  to 
blame  in  the  affray,  but  the  witnesses  in  his  case  were 
never  examined.  This  at  least  was  to  be  said  for  him, 
he  fought  on  his  own  ground  and  where  his  adversaries 
were  interlopers  and  trespassers. 

As  for  the  soldiers,   Ibrahim   made   sure  that  they 


296  BIBLE   WORK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

should  undergo  their  sentence.  Visitors  at  Acca  saw 
them  there  laboring  as  convicts  on  the  public  works. 
The  pasha  was  a  severe,  perhaps  cruel,  disciplinarian. 
Anything  like  disobedience  or  cowardice  in  soldiers,  and 
anything  like  superstition  or  bigotry  in  priests,  he  could 
not  bear  with.  His  own  coolness  and  daring  in  the 
face  of  an  enemy  were  proverbial.  He  would  be  occu- 
pied in  skirmishes  with  the  enemy  all  day,  and  at  night 
when  he  loosed  his  girdle  balls  would  fall  from  it  by 
the  handful.  So  the  natives  had  it,  and  even  Lady 
Stanhope  told  it  for  a  truth.*  In  the  midst  of  the 
assault  upon  Acca,  it  is  related  that  he  met  a  man  re- 
treating to  the  rear  with  a  bloody  finger  or  something 
of  the  kind.  ^^  Coward,''  said  he,  giving  him  a  severe 
cut  with  his  sword,  "  go  on,  you're  wounded  now." 

In  religion  he  was  quite  an  unbeliever,  and  of  course 
had  no  patience  with  extremists.  Had  the  prophets 
appeared  under  his  government  he  would  not  have 
endured  any  of  them.  "  They  were  all  bad  men,"  he 
said,  ^^  and  our  prophet  was  the  worst  among  them  all." 
On  hearing  of  the  imprisonment  of  Shidiak  for  his 
faith  he  entered  into  the  project  for  his  release  with  all 
the  ardor  of  a  partisan,  ordered  the  Emeer  Besheer  who 
was  with  him  to  furnish  a  guard  for  the  purpose,  saying, 
"  If  you  object  to  doing  it,  I  will  send  a  band  of  my 
own  Egyptians. ^^  When  the  pasha  had  obtained  posses- 
sion of  Acca  and  the  interior  neighborhood,  including 
Nablus,  the  time  came  round  for  the  annual  liadge  or 
pilgrimage  to  Mecca.  The  usual  caravan  was  forming 
at  Damascus,  and  the  pasha  of  that  city  sent  to  the 
Nablusians  to  furnish,  as  formerly,  the  usual  supply  of 
water-jars  for  the  journey.  The  people  sent  to  Ibrahim 
Eotlicn,  chop.  8,  p.  74. 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  297 

to  know  if  they  should  comply  with  the  demand.  He 
said,  ^^  No ;  let  them  ask  of  me.''  "  But  they  are  un- 
willing to  ask  of  you."  "Very  well/'  said  Ibrahim, 
"  then  let  there  never  he  hadgeJ^ 

The  pride  and  bigotry  of  the  Damascenes  is  well 
known.  So  holy  was  their  city  that  no  Jew  or  Christian 
could  enter  it  riding,  and  when  the  English  consul-gen- 
eral was  appointed  for  Syria,  with  his  station  at  Damas- 
cus, the  Muslim  population  there,  when  they  heard  of  it, 
rose  with  one  voice,  declaring  that  the  English  consul- 
general  should  never  enter  there  alive.  The  consul, 
during  the  siege  of  Acca,  visited  the  pasha,  and  inquired 
about  the  probability  of  his  being  able  to  occupy  the 
station  to  which  he  was  appointed.  The  pasha  encour- 
aged him,  by  all  means,  to  take  up  his  abode  there. 
"  But  I  suppose,"  said  the  consul,  "  it  will  be  necessary 
for  me,  at  least,  to  adopt  the  Arab  dress  in  the  city." 
"  Wait  a  little,"  said  Ibrahim ;  "  I'll  insure  that  you 
shall  go  there  in  Arab  dress,  or  English  dress,  or  without 
any  dress,  if  you  choose."  And  his  promise  was  kept,  for 
when  the  consul  went  there  to  hoist  his  infidel  flag  in 
that  holy  city  he  was  met  and  welcomed  by  a  vast  cav- 
alcade and  crowds  of  people  on  foot,  some  of  whom 
actually  spread  their  garments  in  the  way  for  him  to 
ride  over  them. 


CHAPTER    XV. 

Mr.  Thomson  sets  oflf  with  his  family  for  Jerusalem — Becomes  iso- 
lated at  Jaffa  by  war — Terrible  earthquake — Horrors  in  Jerusa- 
lem— The  city  taken  by  the  Arabs,  and  retaken  by  the  pasha — 
Mrs.  Thomson's  death  at  Jerusalem— Mr.  Thomson  returns  to 
Beirut. 

OUR,  new  associate,  the  Rev.  W.  M.  Thomson,*  to 
whom  it  was  assigned  to  reoceupy  the  station  at 
Jerusalem,  set  oif  with  his  family  for  that  city  in  April, 
1834.  On  reaching  Jaffa  by  sea,  without  waiting  for 
the  landing  and  forwarding  of  his  goods  he  hastened  to 
see  his  family  safely  settled  at  their  new  residence,  which 
had  been  prepared  and  waiting  for  them  for  some 
months  past.  Mr.  Nicolayson,  our  English  fellow-la- 
borer, with  his  family,  was  already  in  occupation  of  a 
part  of  the  tenement.  The  war-spirit  was  abroad  in  tlie 
land.  The  natives  were  rising  to  drive  away  Ibrahim 
Pasha  and  his  soldiers  from  the  possession  of  Jerusa- 
lem. Leaving  his  family  in  Jerusalem,  and  returning 
for  his  goods  to  Jaffa,  Mr.  Thomson  saw  on  his  way 
many  of  the  fellaheen  (Arab  peasants)  ready  armed  and 
equipped  for  the  deadly  strife,  and  found  at  Jaffa  the 
pasha  preparing  to  march  against  them.  He,  therefore, 
with  all  despatch  put  everything  in  readiness,  and  the 
very  next  day  set  off  on  his  return  to  Jerusalem. 

Evil   tidings,  like  Job's  messengers,  had   poured  in 

*  Rev.  W.  M.  Thomson,  D.  D.,  author  of  "  The  Land  and  the 
Book." 

298 


BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  299 

upon  them  at  Jaffa,  and  the  men  they  met  to-day  more 
than  confirmed  the  bad  reports  of  yesterday.  Several 
travelers  who  had  started  from  Jaffa  the  day  before  were 
returning  in  great  terror,  not  having  been  able  to  get  up 
the  mountains.  After  passing  these,  there  dashed  by 
them  an  express  bearing  news  to  the  pasha.  '^  I  wa? 
greatly  struck,"  says  Mr.  Thomson,  *^  with  the  appear- 
ance of  the  man.  He  sat  erect,  and  firm  as  a  statue 
on  its  pedestal.  His  countenance  was  fixed  and  steady, 
and  every  muscle  and  joint  screwed  down  tight.  With 
a  firm  grasp  he  held  his  cocked  musket  at  arm's  length 
and  parallel  with  the  horizon,  and,  dashing  his  heavy 
stirrup-irons  into  the  sides  of  his  swift  Arabian,  he  flew 
over  the  ground  like  an  eagle  hastening  to  his  prey." 

When  Mr.  Thomson  had  reached  Ramleh  he  was  in- 
formed that  a  battle  had  been  fought  already  between 
the  fellaheen  and  a  party  of  the  pasha's  cavalry,  and 
that  the  latter  had  been  driven  down  the  mountains 
with  the  loss  of  their  commander  and  many  others.  A 
reinforcement  of  two  separate  detachments  of  cavalry 
arrived  at  Ramleh  during  the  night.  Reports  were  every 
day  more  and  more  alarming.  The  whole  of  the  hill- 
country  of  Judea,  from  Nablus  to  Hebron,  was  in  com- 
motion. The  governor  of  Jeruisalem  had  fled,  and  his 
father,  who  had  been  governor  the  year  before  and  was 
displaced,  was  at  the  head  of  the  rebels.  It  was  con- 
fidently reported  that  the  city  had  been  taken  by  the 
native  peasants  and  plundered.  The  consul  at  Ramleh 
and  his  family  strongly  urged  Mr.  Thomson  to  escape 
with  them  back  to  Jaffa,  but  in  vain.  They  themselves 
succeeded  in  getting  through  safely  with  their  goods,  but 
a  certain  captain  and  his  family,  who  attempted  the 
same  thing,  under  the  same  escort,  becoming  detached 


300  BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS. 

from  the  company,  were  attacked  by  robbers  and  stripped 
entirely  naked,  and  in  this  plight  had  to  walk  all  the 
rest  of  the  way  to  Jaffa. 

On  the  next  day  occurred  a  frightful  earthquake. 
The  people  of  Ramleh  rushed  forth  into  the  fields  to  es- 
cape from  the  falling  ruins  of  their  houses,  nearly  every 
one  of  which  was  more  or  less  injured.  At  night  they 
ventured  back,  but  at  ten  o'clock  there  burst  forth  again 
a  tremendous  screaming,  as  if  from  another  earthquake. 
All  fled  once  more  into  the  open  air,  and  remained  out 
for  hours,  fearing  to  trust  themselves  within  those  threat- 
ening walls  of  stone.  Two  or  three  times  subsequently, 
during  Mr.  Thomson's  stay,  the  place  was  visited  with 
these  disturbances,  and  he  became  convinced  that,  both 
for  safety  and  for  comfort,  Jaifa  was  better  than  Ramleh 
as  a  place  where  he  might  wait  until  these  Avar-clouds 
should  pass  away.  When,  under  the  keeping  of  Provi- 
dence, he  reached  Jaffa  in  safety,  he  found  the  city 
swarming  with  soldiers  and  vexed  with  the  plague.  A 
large  addition  to  the  Egyptian  army  was  brought  by 
five  men-of-war  from  Alexandria.  Six  thousand  men 
were  soon  on  their  march  for  Jerusalem.  Mr.  Thomson 
had  nearly  determined  to  set  off  with  them,  but  was 
providentially,  and,  as  it  proved,  very  mercifully,  de- 
tained. The  pasha,  on  arriving  at  the  first  difficult 
mountain  defile,  sent  one  detachment  of  his  forces  to 
clear  the  adjacent  heights,  and  another  was  stationed  to 
guard  the  entrance,  while  the  main  body  was  to  keej) 
directly  on  its  march.  The  defile  was  successfully 
passed,  and  the  signal  was  given  for  the  detachment  in 
the  rear  to  advance  and  join  the  rest  of  the  army.  But 
the  commander  failed  to  obey  the  order,  and  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  fellaheen.     He  and  only  two  hundred  of 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  301 

his  thousand  men  found  their  way  back  to  Jaffa,  de- 
spoiled of  everything  but  life.  Had  not  Mr.  Thomson 
been  prevented  from  executing  his  purpose  of  accom- 
panying the  army,  he  would  undoubtedly  have  been  at- 
tached to  this  rear  division  of  it,  and  have  shared  its 
perils  and  losses,  among  which  latter  might  have  been 
the  loss  of  life. 

The  troops  being  withdrawn  from  Jaifa,  the  city  was 
exposed  to  the  assaults  of  the  fellaheen.  For  some  days 
a  constant  firing  of  musketry  and  of  cannon  was  kept 
up  with  more  or  less  fatal  effect.  The  enemy  without, 
not  being  in  numbers  sufficient  to  take  the  city,  con- 
tented themselves  with  harassing  the  garrison  and  de- 
stroying the  gardens  of  the  suburbs.  Great  fear,  how- 
ever, pervaded  the  city,  and  the  English  and  American 
consuls  and  many  others  packed  up  their  goods  and 
sought  an  asylum  from  the  war  in  boats,  intending  to 
proceed  to  Beirut  or  Cyprus,  or  to  some  other  port,  or 
even  to  remain  at  sea  till  the  troubles  were  over. 

Mohammed  Ali,  being  informed  of  the  state  of  the 
country  and  the  dangers  to  which  his  son  was  exposed, 
sent  on  from  Alexandria  fresh  supplies  for  the  war,  and 
soon  came  to  Jaffa  himself  in  person.  AVith  an  army 
of  twelve  thousand  men  at  Jaffa,  and  as  many  more  ex- 
pected from  the  Bedawin  by  land,  and  with  the  ten  thou- 
sand offered  by  the  Emeer  Besheer  in  case  of  necessity, 
Ibrahim  could  not  fail  to  succeed.  Accordingly,  after  a 
war  of  fifteen  days  the  fellaheen  forces  were  so  far  scat- 
tered and  subdued  that  Mr.  Thomson  ventured  to  make 
a  night-push  for  Jerusalem.  He  reached  the  city  on  the 
second  day  without  molestation. 

"But  oh,"  he  exclaims,  "what  horror,  what  faintness 
seized  my  heart  when  I  came  in  sight  of  our  house  and 

2f. 


302  BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS. 

saw  that  part  of  it  which  Mrs.  Thomson  occupied  all 
torn  to  pieces  by  the  cannon  of  the  castle  V^ 

He  was  permitted,  however,  to  find  the  inmates  all 
alive  and  joyful  at  his  safe  return.  What  had  occurred 
at  Jerusalem  during  these  weeks  of  war  and  earthquake 
is  graphically  and  touchingly  described  in  the  subjoined 
letter  of  Mrs.  Thomson,  addressed  to  her  sister  in  Amer-  . 
ica,  dated  Jerusalem,  May  30,  1834: 

"  The  last  Sabbath  was  one  never  to  be  forgotten  by 
myself  and  by  hundreds  in  this  afflicted  city.  My  hus- 
band had  nearly  a  week  previous  gone  to  Jaffa  for  the 
purpose  of  bringing  up  our  things.  The  rebels  marched 
toward  Jerusalem,  but  the  pasha's  soldiers  dared  not 
leave  the  city  to  oppose  them,  for  there  is  treachery 
within  the  walls,  and  they  feared,  with  too  much  reason, 
that  the  gates  would  be  shut  upon  them  if  they  should 
sally  forth. 

"  We  were  not  greatly  alarmed,  however,  until  rising 
on  Sabbath  morning  we  received  the  assurance  that  we 
were  literally  in  a  besieged  city.  We  are  within  a  few 
rods  of  the  tower  or  castle,  and  I  saw,  for  the  first  time 
in  my  life,  the  cannon  brought  out  to  be  mounted  upon 
the  walls,  accompanied  with  other  preparations  for  car- 
rying on  the  work  of  death.  We  are  staying  in  the 
house  of  the  kind  Mr.  Nicolayson,  from  whom  and  his 
lady  we  receive  every  possible  kindness.  At  11  o'clock 
A.  M.  our  two  little  families  convened  for  reading  the 
scriptures  and  prayer.  Mr.  Nicolayson's  selections  all 
had  a  bearing  on  our  present  circumstances,  and  were 
eminently  calculated  to  inspire  confidence  in  God.  As 
he  read  some  of  those  last  conversations  of  our  Saviour 
with  his  disciples,  it  seemed  almost  as  if  we  were  realiz- 
ing the  same  scenes,  and  we  felt  every  word  to  be  appli- 


BIBLE   WORK   IN   BIBLE    LANDS.  303 

cable  to  ourselves.  Still  we  were  yet  ignorant  to  what 
extent  we  were  soon  to  be  called  to  '  possess  our  souls  in 
patience.' 

"  When  our  worship  closed  my  babe  was  brought  to 
be  nursed,  and  I  had  scarcely  taken  him  before  the 
house  above  and  around  began  to  shake  violently. 
'What  is  this?'  said  Mrs.  Nicolayson  in  consterna- 
tion. Instantly  the  truth  flashed  upon  my  mind.  I  ex- 
claimed, 'An  earthquake!'  and  rushed  out  of  the  room. 
I  descended  the  stairs  amid  a  shower  of  dust  and 
stones,  a  large  one  being  precipitated  from  the  top  of 
the  wall  which  narrowly  escaped  crushing  little  William's 
head.  Everlasting  gratitude  to  God  for  his  preserving 
goodness ! 

"On  gaining  the  garden  I  felt  somewhat  relieved. 
But,  my  dear  sister,  it  was  an  awful  sight  to  see  the  high 
stone  walls  of  our  garden  shivering  like  leaves  in  a  tem- 
pest, a  part  giving  way  and  the  whole  threatened  with 
the  same  fate,  the  house  also  shaking  as  if  the  next  mo- 
ment it  would  fall  prostrate,  and  the  very  earth  trem- 
bling beneath  our  feet  as  if  no  longer  able  to  support  its 
surface.  What  power  but  the  Almighty  can  succor  in 
such  awful  circumstances  ?  To  whom  can  we  fly  but  to 
Him  who  holds  all  nature  in  his  hands  ?  To  Him  and 
to  the  blood  of  atonement  that  speaks  pardon  and  peace 
I  did  in  these  terrific  scenes  endeavor  to  look ;  yes,  to 
cast  myself  upon  the  mercy  of  God  in  Christ  and  await 
with  resignation  the  result  of  these  unlooked-for  calami- 
ties. In  a  few  moments  the  streets  were  filled  with  the 
weeping,  lamentation  and  woe  of  afflicted  multitudes 
who  had  fled  from  houses  that  threatened  to  bury  them 
beneath  their  ruins.  Several  families,  all  Jews,  came  to 
take  shelter  in  our  large  garden,  and  it  was  truly  affect- 


304  BIBLE   WORK   IN    BIBLE   LANDS. 

ing  to  see  these  bigoted  descendants  of  Abraham  coming 
for  protection  in  the  hour  of  danger  to  the  house  of  a 
Christian,  really  appearing  to  derive  comfort  from  our 
composure  and  our  confidence  that  God  would  protect 
us. 

"The  shocks  continued  through  the  afternoon  and 
night,  also  on  the  next  day  and  night,  but  not  so  violent 
as  the  first.  It  is  predicted  by  the  Latin  monks  that  to- 
morrow, the  seventh  day  from  the  first,  will  be  the  most 
tremendous  shock  yet  experienced.  But,  poor  mortals, 
they  ^know  not  what  will  be  on  the  morrow.^  We  must 
acknowledge,  however,  that  present  appearances  rather 
indicate  a  return.  ...  I  was  obliged  by  another  shock, 
though  slight,  to  throw  down  my  pen,  seize  my  infant 
and  run  out  of  the  house  just  as  I  had  written  the  word 
'  return  J  The  weather  is  exceedingly  hot  and  sultry, 
thermometer  at  90°  in  the  shade.  In  addition  to  this 
there  is  an  uncommon  dryness  in  the  air.  .  .  .  What 
will  be  the  termination  of  this  season  our  heavenly  Father 
only  knows.  Circumstances  more  appalling  than  these 
in  which  we  are  now  placed  I  had  hardly  ever  imagined. 
I  hesitate  to  describe  them.  I  have  no  wish  to  excite 
your  sympathy  at  the  expense  of  your  comfort.  But 
before  this  reaches  you  all  these  troubles  will  have  been 
caused  to  subside,  through  the  good  providence  of  Him 
who  has  all  events  under  his  control ;  ...  or  should  he 
in  infinite  wisdom  determine  otherwise,  we  may  be  at 
rest  where  wars  and  rumors  of  wars  shall  never  reach  us 
more. 

"  Owing  to  the  continued  tremblings  and  quakings  of 
the  earth  we  thought  it  prudent  to  sleep  in  the  garden. 
But  here  a  new  danger  met  us.  The  engagements  be- 
tween the  soldiers  on  the  walls  and  the  peasantry  with- 


BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS.  305 

out  were  carried  on  principally  at  night  on  account  of 
the  heat  of  the  day.  The  fellahs  got  possession  of  a 
small  convent  without  the  city  which  enabled  them  to 
aim  at  the  soldiers,  and  though  they  had  no  cannon,  yet, 
because  we  were  so  near  the  castle,  the  balls  from  their 
muskets  flew  whizzing  over  our  heads  and  around  us 
in  every  direction.  We  lay  thus  for  three  or  four  nights, 
and  then  concluded  that  it  was  better  to  fall  into  the 
hands  of  the  Lord  than  into  the  hands  of  men,  and  so 
returned  into  our  partially-dilapidated  dwelling.  Per- 
haps you  would  not  call  it  partially  dilapidated  were  you 
to  see  the  fissures  in  the  walls  and  terraces,  the  half-fallen 
ceilings,  the  sunken  floors,  and  other  marks  that  tell  of 
ruin  and  threaten  to  make  it  a  mass  of  rubbish. 

..."  Through  the  mercy  of  God  we  are  not  yet  left 
houseless.  I  and  my  little  family  have  a  small  open 
room  or  house  in  the  garden,  but  of  so  ancient  a  date 
that  it  would  require  no  bad  shaking  to  bring  its  rotten 
stone  arches  down  upon  our  heads.  Mr.  Nicolayson's 
family  find  shelter  in  some  lower  rooms  formerly  used 
for  lumber.  Imagine  us  lying  down  at  night  with  more 
than  a  mere  possibility  that  our  beds  might  be  our  tombs, 
endeavoring,  but  often  without  success,  to  compose  our- 
selv^es  to  rest  amid  the  firing  of  musketry  and  the  roar- 
ing of  cannon.  Oh  how  different  are  our  feelings  in 
committing  ourselves  to  God  for  nightly  protection,  un- 
der so  many  appalling  circumstances,  from  what  they 
were  in  our  own  peaceful  country !  How  very  trifling 
now  appear  many,  many  things  to  which  I  once  attached 
importance !  Even  all  that  earth  calls  good  or  great 
dwindles  into  nothing  when  we  encounter  the  horrors 
of  war,  earthquake  and  scarcity,  if  not  famine.  These 
things  bring  the  realities  of  eternity  near.     Had  not  our 

26* 


306  BIBLE   WORK    IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

dear  Christian  friends  been  most  providentially  supplied 
with  stores  out  of  which  they  have  hospitably  entertained 
us,  I  know  not  what  we  should  have  done  in  this  emer- 
gency. You  may  think  me  selfish,  perhaps,  in  dwelling 
so  much  on  our  own  affairs  and  saying  little  or  nothing 
about  the  state  of  the  city,  the  war  and  the  sufferings  of 
others.  The  truth  is  we  know  nothing  of  things  with- 
out, and  are  obliged  to  sit  in  our  houses  day  after  day  in 
the  most  painful  suspense.  Rumors  and  conjectures — 
some  of  them  frightful  enough — we  have  indeed  heard, 
but  we  question  the  truth  of  all.  We  are  troubled  with 
very  few  visitors.  The  disloyalty  or  disaffection  to  the 
pasha  is  so  universal  among  the  Muslims  that  they  are 
said  to  be  all  quarantined  in  their  houses.  One  thing 
is  certain,  that  those  who  used  to  visit  us  come  in  no 
more.  The  streets  are  silent  and  deserted,  patrolled 
only  by  a  vigilant  soldiery.  It  is  said,  and  I  believe 
this  story  at  least,  that  several  communications  have 
passed  between  the  fellaheen  and  the  Turkish  citizens. 
Some  of  these  have  been  intercepted.'^ 

Another  date. — ^'  Several  days,  my  dear  sister,  have 
elapsed  since  the  close  of  what  I  last  wrote.  Many  of 
these  were  days  of  such  awful  interest  that  I  could  com- 
mand neither  opportunity  nor  composure  sufficient  to 
describe  the  appalling  scenes  around  me.  Even  after 
the  danger  had  in  some  measure  subsided  I  could  not 
recall  the  past  but  with  feelings  of  such  horror  that  for 
the  sake  of  my  dear  babe,  whose  health  is  much  affected 
by  mine,  I  have  felt  it  my  duty  to  keep  my  mind  as 
calm  as  possible.  In  this  endeavor  I  have  been  merci- 
fully assisted  with  strength  from  above.  I  called  upon 
God  in  my  trouble ;  he  heard  my  prayer  and  strength- 
ened me  with  strength  from  on  high. 


BIBLE    WORK   IN    BIBLE   LANDS.  307 

'^At  sunset,  May  31,  Mr.  Nicolayson  ascended  the 
terrace  to  ascertain  the  state  of  matters,  and  returned 
with  the  assurance  that  the  walls  were  manned  as  usual, 
the  gates  closed  and  the  soldiers  at  their  posts.  We  re- 
tired to  rest.  .  .  .  About  midnight  I  was  awakened  by 
a  loud  discharge  of  fire-arms,  and  the  balls  whistled 
around  us  in  such  a  manner  that  I  was  sure  the  engage- 
ment was  within  the  walls. 

"  I  hastily  awoke  Mr.  Nicolayson.  AYe  all  dressed  as 
soon  as  possible,  taking  care  not  to  awake  the  children. 
The  narrow  street  that  passed  our  front  door  led  di- 
rectly to  houses  occupied  by  soldiers.  Mr.  Nicolayson 
went  there  to  listen,  and  found  the  soldiers  removing 
their  effects  with  the  utmost  expedition  into  the  castle. 
That  which  we  had  anticipated  and  feared  was  now  but 
too  certain.  The  city  was  betrayed,  and  we  were  at  the 
mercy  of  a  lawless  and  ferocious  multitude.  The  gates 
of  the  castle  closed — morning  dawned — the  morning 
sacred  to  Him  who  came  to  bring  peace  and  good-will 
to  men ;  the  day  also  on  which,  according  to  rule,  you, 
with  many  of  your  beloved  friends,  were  to  commemo- 
rate the  love  of  our  Redeemer.  Under  what  different 
circumstances  was  your  sister  to  spend  its  hours !  After 
the  retiring  of  the  soldiers  we  were  not  left  long  in 
suspense.  The  awful  silence  was  broken  by  the  shouts 
of  the  fellahs,  the  firing  of  musketry,  etc.,  while  from 
the  streets  were  heard  the  breaking  open  of  doors  and 
the  running  of  men  to  and  fro.  To  add  to  our  distress, 
our  servant,  who  had  been  on  the  terrace,  rushed  into 
the  room,  pale  with  terror,  exclaiming  that  the  fellahs 
were  murdering  the  people  and  plundering  the  city. 
Whither  could  we  fly  for  refuge  but  to  Him  who  said, 
'Call   upon  me  in  the  day  of  trouble,  I  will  deliver 


308  BIBLE   WORK   IN    BIBLE   LANDS. 

thee/  We  did  call  upon  him,  and  sought  him  not  in 
vain.  Mr.  Nicolayson  read  the  scriptures,  and  oh  how 
rich  and  appropriate  seemed  every  line,  especially  our 
Lord's  last  conversation  and  prayer  recorded  in  John, 
and  many  of  the  Psalms  composed,  ages  ago,  in  this 
very  vicinity,  and  under  similar  circumstances !  They 
seemed  written  expressly  to  quiet  our  fears  and  confirm 
our  confidence  in  God.  If  our  hearts  did  not  deceive 
us,  we  did  not  so  much  dread  death.  Oh  no,  I  longed 
to  leave  a  world  of  so  much  wickedness,  cruelty  and 
sorrow,  and  enter  one  where  all  is  love  and  purity  and 
peace.  But  nature — weak,  terrified  nature — shrunk 
from  the  possibility  of  personal  injury  and  the  terrors 
of  a  violent  death.  My  infant  too — my  heart  sickened 
when  I  looked  at  him.  His  smiles  and  caresses  went  to 
my  very  soul,  and  I  was  obliged  to  resign  him  to  the 
care  of  others. 

"  During  the  day  the  soldiers  made  a  sally  from  the 
castle  and  drove  the  fellahs  into  the  lower  part  of  the 
city,  and,  although  again  shut  in,  they  kept  up  a  con- 
stant fire  upon  the  rebels.  Our  house  being  near  the 
castle,  we  spent  two  days  unmolested  by  the  fellaheen, 
but  within  the  constant  sound  of  door-breaking  and 
plundering.  .  .  . 

"Mr.  Nicolayson  afterward,  finding  the  house  was 
beginning  to  be  robbed,  hired  ten  men  to  guard  it. 
They  did  their  duty  pretty  well,  still,  on  one  occasion, 
a  furious  fellah  rushed  into  the  part  of  the  house  where 
we  were  and  drew  his  sword  to  kill  the  dog,  and  next 
he  seized  our  servant  by  the  collar,  and  was  going  to 
run  him  through,  on  pretence  of  his  being  one  of  the 
nezzam  soldiers.  Being  assured,  however,  that  he  was 
an  Englishman  and   our   servant,  he  let  him  go,  and 


BIBLE   WORK   IN    BIBLE   LANDS.  309 

then  left  the  house,  taking  with  him,  however,  such  of 
my  clothes  as  hit  his  fancy.  All  this  day  and  night, 
and  the  greater  part  of  the  next  day,  we  Avere  literally 
in  the  very  din  of  war.  We  all  stowed  ourselves  in  a 
small  lower  room,  where  the  walls  were  very  thick,  and 
heard  the  cannon  balls  whistle  over  and  around  us.  One 
large  ball  entered  the  dome  of  the  little  room  in  the 
garden  where  I  had  slept  and  tore  a  large  hole  through  it, 
scattering  the  rocks  and  mortar  all  over  the  place  where 
I  and  the  babe  used  to  lie.  At  every  discharge  of  the 
cannon  from  the  castle  the  fellahs  in  the  houses  would 
set  up  a  prodigious  shout  of  defiance,  and  at  stated 
periods  they  made  signals  to  each  other  all  over  the  city. 
I  cannot  tell  you  how  this  unearthly  sound  fell  upon 
my  ears.  It  was  neither  a  yell,  a  shriek  nor  a  shout, 
but  a  compound  of  all,  and  being  prolonged  while  the 
voice  could  sustain  it,  was  unutterably  terrific. 

"  Near  the  close  of  the  week  our  guard  had  become  so 
exorbitant  in  their  demands  that  we  felt  assured  that 
unless  relief  should  soon  arrive  our  purses,  at  least, 
would  no  longer  be  in  our  own  power.  About  noon, 
however,  their  tone  altered,  and  we  observed  that  the 
numbers  assembled  in  our  garden  were  decreasing.  At 
4  o'clock  Mr.  Nicolayson  heard  some  one  say  very  hur — " 

At  this  point  in  her  letter  Mrs.  Thomson,  startled  by 
a  note  of  alarm,  sprang  to  her  infant  and  fled  from  the 
room,  leaving  as  evidence  of  her  fright  a  large  blot 
where  her  pen  fell  across  the  face  of  her  paper.  She 
never  finished  the  letter,  but  Mr.  Thomson,  on  inquiry, 
supposed  that  the  unfinished  sentence  ought  to  be  con- 
cluded nearly  thus :  "  Mr.  Nicolayson  heard  some  one 
say  very  hurriedly,  *  They  are  coming — flee  as  soon  as 
you  can/  "     It  was  probably  the  voice  of  some  fellah 


310  BIBLE   WORK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

calling  out  to  his  comrades  below  to  flee  from  the  face 
of  the  pasha,  who  was  just  entering  the  city.  Imme- 
diately not  a  fellah  was  to  be  seen,  and  this  was  the  last 
fright  which  those  anxious  mothers  had  to  suffer  from 
the  war.  The  pasha  once  more  had  sole  possession  of 
the  town.  The  peasants  were,  indeed,  not  yet  subdued, 
but  henceforth  their  fighting  was  all  to  be  done  outside 
the  city. 

It  might  be  reasonably  expected  that  a  state  of  excite- 
ment so  intense  and  so  protracted  could  not  have  been 
endured  by  a  lady  of  Mrs.  Thomson's  delicate  sensibil- 
ities without  a  serious  injury  to  her  health.  Accord- 
ingly, the  month  of  June  had  not  closed  before  she  was 
attacked  with  a  bilious  complaint,  which  was  soon  suc- 
ceeded by  an  intensely  painful  ophthalmia,  accompanied 
by  a  high  inflammatory  fever.  It  was  in  this  suffering 
condition  that  Mr.  Thomson  found  her,  when,  on  the 
11th  of  July,  by  a  night  journey  and  with  considerable 
risk,  he  arrived  once  more  at  Jerusalem.  Her  symp- 
toms daily  grew  more  aggravated.  She  became  quite 
blind.  No  remedies  seemed  to  give  more  than  a  partial 
relief,  and  she  herself,  from  nearly  the  first,  indulged 
no  hope  of  recovery.  She  lingered  for  ten  days  longer, 
when  her  spirit,  happy  in  God,  was  released  from  all 
the  sufferings  of  earth,  and  welcomed,  we  cannot  doubt, 
to  a  home  where  neither  earthquake,  nor  war  cry,  nor 
cannon's  roar,  nor  shrieks  of  terror,  can  disturb  her. 

The  thought  of  death  never  alarmed  her.  She  had 
for  many  weeks  been  in  the  higher,  clearer  regions  of 
faith,  ready  to  depart  at  any  time.  Her  remains  were 
deposited  in  the  cemetery  of  the  Greek  church  on  the 
top  of  Zion,  near  the  sepulchre  of  David.* 

*  Mrs.  Thomson  was  a  native  of  Baltimore,  Maryland,  and  had 


BIBLE   WORK    IN   BIBLE   LANDS.  311 

Another  important  loss  to  the  mission,  occasioned  by 
this  unhapj^y  war,  was  sustained  in  the  death  of  our  old 
friend  and  translator,  Papas  Esa.  He  was  taken  ofiP  by 
a  disease  supposed  to  have  been  brought  on  by  excess  of 
labor  in  burying  his  chests  and  walling  up  his  door  at 
the  beginning  of  the  war. 

Mr.  Thomson,  after  his  bereavement,  found  a  tem- 
porary home  with  his  brethren  at  Beirut,  where  he 
arrived  on  the  5th  of  August. 

been  successfully  engaged  with  her  sister  in  conducting  a  female 
seminary  in  Princeton,  N.  J.,  and  afterwards  in  Jamaica,  L.  I.  She 
was  born  in  the  year  1800. 


CIIAPTEK    XVI. 

Work  in  Beirut — Arrival  of  a  press — Decease  of  Consul  Abbott  at  Eh- 
heden — Station  at  Jerusalem  resumed  by  Messrs.  Whiting  and 
Dodge — Death  of  the  latter  at  Jerusalem — Druze  excitement  with 
little  present  result — Mrs.  Bird's  ill  health  compels  the  family 
to  leave  Syria — Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith's  shipwreck — Death  of  Mrs. 
Smith — Triumph  at  Brummana — Earthquake  at  Safet — Jerusa- 
lem abandoned — Good  reasons — Death  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hebard 
— New  war.  at  Beirut — Death  of  Mrs.  Wolcott. 

WHILE  our  friends  in  the  south  were  suffering  the 
horrors  of  war,  we  at  Beirut  were  enjoying  unin- 
interrupted  quiet,  and  our  work  went  on  in  its  customary- 
routine.  Mrs.  Smith  commenced  a  promising  little 
school  for  girls  in  one  of  the  rooms  of  the  missionary- 
house.  Successful  efforts  were  made  for  temperance  re- 
form, the  consul  himself,  with  a  number  of  the  natives, 
signing  the  total  abstinence  pledge.  Books  were  given 
and  sold  to  a  number  of  Druzes,  who  seemed  to  be  wak- 
ing up  to  the  inquiry  whether  our  religion  was  one 
which  they  could  believe  in  and  adopt  as  a  nation.  Our 
printing  press  arrived,  and  was  suffered  to  pass  the  cus- 
tom house  without  any  vexatious  detention.  A  quarrel 
took  place  between  the  pope's  new  legate  and  the  Ma- 
ronite  bishop  of  Beirut  respecting  their  ecclesiastical 
rank  and  authority,  and  Maronites  were  forbidden  the 
privilege  of  worshiping  in  the  Latin  chapel  in  our  city. 
The  watchful  shepherd  at  Canobeen,  in  another  general 
proclamation,  warned  his  beloved  flock  against  the  raven- 

312 


BIBLE    WORK    IN   BIBLE    LANDS.  313 

ing  wolves  in  sheep's  clothing,  and  a  school  teacher  re- 
ceived a  communication  from  his  bishop,  threatening 
him  with  penalties  if  he  did  not  at  once  forsake  our 
employ. 

Four  days  before  the  death  of  Mrs.  Thomson  we 
were  called  in  a  similar  manner  to  part  with  our  re- 
spected, kind  and  steadfast  friend.  Consul  Abbott.  He 
was  on  a  short  excursion  over  the  mountains  for  his 
health's  sake.  Arriving  at  the  village  of  Eh-heden 
he  was  too  feeble  to  proceed  any  farther,  and  at  the 
house  of  his  friend.  Sheikh  Lattoof,  he  in  a  few  days 
resigned  his  spirit  into  the  hands  of  Him  that  gave  it, 
expressing  a  hope  for  mercy  only  through  the  blood  of 
Jesus  Christ.  He  was  a  high-minded,  well-bred  gen- 
tleman, foremost  in  dignity  and  influence  among  the 
Beirut  consuls,  and  though  an  Episcopalian  by  profes- 
sion and  habit,  he  showed  no  sectarian  prejudice,  but 
treated  both  us  and  our  message  with  uniform  and  un- 
looked-for respect. 

The  mission  station  at  Jerusalem,  once  more  vacant 
by  the  departure  of  Mr.  Thomson,  was  again  resumed 
by  Messrs.  Whiting  and  Dodge,  the  latter  of  whom,  at 
the  end  of  three  months,  was  laid  by  the  side  of  his 
American  sister  in  the  dust  of  Mt.  Zion.  He  had  been 
at  his  new  station  a  little  more  than  a  month  when  he 
was  called  for  to  attend  upon  a  case  of  dangerous  sick- 
ness in  one  of  the  mission  families  at  Beirut.  In  re- 
turning to  Jerusalem  his  last  day's  journey  was  long 
and  wearisome,  and  almost  immediately  after  it  both  he 
and  his  companion,  Mr.  Nicolayson,  were  similarly  at- 
tacked with  fever.  Mr.  Nicolayson,  after  a  serious  ill- 
ness, recovered,  but  Dr.  Dodge  lingered  nearly  a  month, 
till  his  power  of  resisting  the  disease  came  to  an  end  on 

27 


314  BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

the  28tli  day  after  its  first  attack.  His  colleague,  Mr. 
Whiting,  says :  "  Our  departed  brother  had  endeared 
himself  exceedingly  to  us  all.  His  example  and  conver- 
sation were  highly  honorable  to  the  gospel  and  edifying 
to  all  who  knew  him.  He  had  very  enlightened  views 
of  tlie  whole  subject  of  education,  and  a  happy  talent 
for  instructing  and  engaging  the  attention  of  the  young. 
His  medical  knoAvledge,  moreover,  gave  him  peculiar 
advantages  for  intercourse  among  the  people.* 

As  the  Egyptian  government  in  Syria  became  stable 
and  seemed  likely  to  be  lasting,  the  Druzes  were  full 
of  apprehension  lest  ere  long  the  pasha  should  send 
orders  and  impress  them  into  his  army.  To  this  event 
they  looked  forward  as  an  insufferable  calamity.  They 
sought,  therefore,  most  earnestly  some  foreign  protection, 
and  particularly  that  of  the  English.  Many  individ- 
uals from  among  them  called  from  time  to  time  to  in- 
quire all  about  our  Protestant  sentiments,  for  they  knew 
we  differed  from  the  Christians  of  this  country,  and  that 
our  faith  was  comparatively  unobjectionable.  One  re- 
spectable young  sheikh  in  particular,  of  the  family  of 
Kadi,  from  the  village  of  Bshamon,  made  us  repeated 
visits.  There  was  a  marked  difference  between  this  man 
and  most  others  of  his  nation.  He  had  nothing  of  that 
fawning  flattery  and  evident  hypocrisy  which  are  almost 
inseparable  from  the  Druze  character.  He  bore  the 
evident  marks  of  a  man  of  candor,  honesty,  open-heart- 
edness  and  prudence.  Sheikh  Kawsim,  as  he  was  called, 
assured  us  that  a  number  of  the  first  men  of  his  nation 
had  read  our  books  and  gave  them  their  approval  to 

*  Dr.  Dodge  was  a  native  of  New  Castle,  Me.,  and  received  his 
preparatory  and  professional  education,  both  in  medicine  and  the- 
ology, chiefly  in  Brunswick.    His  age  was  thirty-two. 


BIBLE   WORK    IN   BIBLE   LANDS.  315 

that  extent  that  they  could  subscribe  to  them  as  contain- 
ing the  religion  of  their  choice.  They  would  open  their 
villages  to  our  books,  our  schools,  and  our  worship,  and 
openly  proclaim  themselves  Protestant  Christians,  on  the 
sole  condition  that  the  English  nation  would  guarantee 
in  their  behalf  that  they  should  have  the  same  privileges 
as  were  accorded  to  other  Christians  of  the  land ;  in  par- 
ticular, that  they  should  not  be  impressed  into  the  army, 
but  like  them,  serve  only  as  militia  when  called  upon  to 
defend  their  own  mountains.  The  sheikh  had  little 
doubt  that  if  the  chiefs  of  whom  he  spoke  should  lead 
off  in  the  proposed  movement,  the  whole  nation  would 
follow. 

We  gave  the  sheikh  no  definite  reply  as  to  what  we 
could  undertake  to  do  in  the  premises,  but  when  our 
brethren  who  were  absent  at  Jerusalem  returned  we  con- 
ferred together  and  concluded  that  we  were  not  in  pos- 
session of  facts  enough  to  give  our  Druze  friends  much 
encouragement.  We  could  of  course  give  them  no  gov- 
ernmental pledges,  nor  could  we  at  present,  with  our 
imperfect  knowledge  of  the  state  of  the  nation,  under- 
take even  to  recommend  them  to  English  or  American 
protection. 

When  the  sheikh  next  appeared  he  was  accompanied 
by  some  others  of  his  people,  and  among  them  the  Emeer 
Hyder  and  his  son,  of  Shwifat,  a  large  village  near  Bei- 
rut. We  told  them  of  our  difficulties,  and  embraced 
the  opportunity  to  explain  to  them  fully  what  Protest- 
antism was.  They  professed  to  understand  the  matter, 
and  it  was  not  unsatisfactory  to  them.  They  wished, 
they  said,  to  become  Protestants  "  both  in  profession  and 
in  hearU^  They  also  expressed  the  hope  that  if  the 
Druzes,  as  a  nation,  should  decline  to  fall  in  with  the 


316  BIBLE    WORK   IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

proposed  arrangement,  the  way  might  still  be  opened  to 
any  individuals  among  them  who  might  be  disposed  to 
avail  themselves  of  the  j)rivilege. 

At  Aaleih,  a  pleasant  mountain  village,  which  was 
made  a  missionary  residence  for  the  summer,  these  visits 
of  the  Druzes  were  continued  and  the  conversations 
renewed.  At  our  Sabbath-day  preaching  also  we  had 
Druzes  among  our  auditors. 

Respecting  this  temporary  opening  for  the  truth 
among  the  Druzes  it  may  be  remarked  that  no  imme- 
diate and  permanent  changes  were  eflPected  by  it.  It 
proved  to  be  a  season  of  mere  seed-time.  It  furnished 
an  invaluable  opportunity  for  proclaiming  the  message 
of  God  to  the  nation.  The  intercourse  of  the  mission- 
aries with  the  people  was  free  and  familiar  for  many 
months.  At  one  period  their  call  for  attention  demand- 
ed nearly  all  the  resources  of  the  mission.  To  hundreds 
and  thousands  of  them  were  the  distinguishing  doctrines 
of  the  gospel  explained,  and  the  people  were  made  to 
perceive  what  they  had  never  known  before,  and  what  it 
would  have  required  long  years  in  peaceable  times  to  tell 
them,  that  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ  was  not  a  religion 
of  ceremonies,  nor  of  image-worship,  nor  of  laxness  of 
morals,  as  was  all  the  Christianity  they  had  ever  seen  or 
heard  of,  but  that  it  had  its  seat  in  the  heart  and  its  fruit 
in  every  good  work.  After  bestowing  much  labor  upon 
them  by  preaching,  conversation,  schools  and  scripture 
distribution,  the  missionaries  were  pained  and  not  a  little 
disappointed  to  find  the  door  gradually  closing  against 
them,  and  to  see  so  few  individuals  on  whom  the  truths 
of  the  gospel  had  apparently  made  any  permanent  im- 
pression. They  were  consoled,  however,  by  the  reflection 
that  they  had  done  their  duty  to  the  nation,  and,  having 


BIBLE    WORK    IN   BIBLE   LA^'DS.  317 

declared  to  them  all  the  counsel  of  God,  they  were  pure 
from  their  blood. 

But  though  it  did  not  please  God  on  this  occasion  to 
bless  his  word  to  them  to  the  extent  that  was  hoped  for, 
yet  it  would  be  wrong  hastily  to  conclude  that  the 
Druzes  had  received  no  lasting  benefit.  We  cannot  now 
tell  how  much  good  seed  lies  buried  in  the  soil  that  may 
yet  spring  up  and  bear  fruit.  Indeed,  one  lasting  ben- 
efit, evidently  resulting  from  the  occasion,  was  the  thirst 
for  knowledge  and  the  increasing  patronage  of  education 
which  they  have  lately  manifested.  Numbers  of  their 
children  have  been  more  or  less  thoroughly  instructed  at 
the  high  school  of  the  mission  at  Abeih,  and  lately,  side 
by  side  with  ours,  they  have  themselves  instituted  a 
high  school  which  is  taught  by  a  Protestant  native  and 
with  the  use  of  books  printed  at  our  Protestant  press. 
Another  important  benefit  has  resulted  from  this  Druze 
movement,  which  is  the  permanent  respect  which  the 
missionaries  seem  to  have  won  from  the  Druze  commu- 
nity. The  latter  are  thoroughly  persuaded  that  the 
missionaries  wish  them  well.  They  are  ready,  therefore, 
to  befriend  them  in  their  turn  when  the  other  sects  set 
themselves  against  them.  One  of  the  missionaries, 
speaking  of  the  straits  to  which  they  have  sometimes 
been  reduced,  lately  wrote,  saying,  "  I  know  not  what 
we  should  have  done  had  it  not  been  for  the  favor  of  the 
Druzes." 

The  23d  of  August  was  a  very  interesting  Sabbath  at 
Aaleih.  Our  service  in  Arabic  was  attended  by  not  far 
from  forty  individuals.  In  the  afternoon  at  our  English 
worship,  which  was  conducted  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Pease, 
late  of  Cyprus,  we  enjoyed  the  presence  of  our  new 
neighbor  Mr.  Moore,  recently  appointed  British  consul 

27  * 


318  BIBLE   WOKK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

in  place  of  the  late  Consul  Abbott.  This  was  the  last 
Sabbath  spent  by  the  author  and  his  family  on  Mt.  Leb- 
anon. Twelve  days  afterward  we  bade  adieu  to  our  be- 
loved missionary  associates  and  embarked  on  board  of  a 
Greek  vessel  for  Smyrna  on  our  way  to  America.  Of 
all  our  ten  embarkations  this  was  by  far  the  most  pain- 
ful we  had  experienced.  No  charms  of  native  land,  or 
of  kindred,  or  of  early  home  and  friends,  were  like  those 
of  the  work  and  the  associates  that  we  were  now  com- 
pelled to  leave.  An  exile  from  his  country,  or  one  who 
has  failed  in  his  chosen  business  of  life  and  feels  fit  for 
no  other,  might  easily  sympathize  with  us  in  that  sad 
hour.  We  yielded  to  the  apparent  will  of  God  as  indi- 
cated in  the  advice  of  the  physician  and  a  vote  of  the 
mission,  but  with  the  expectation  of  a  return  to  the 
work  in  case  of  returning  health. 

The  Rev.  Eli  Smith,  during  the  summer,  was  supply- 
ing Arabic  preaching  at  the  chapel  in  Beirut  with  a 
small  company  of  hearers,  but  which,  later  in  the  autumn, 
increased  from  fifty  to  eighty. 

The  press  as  yet  had  done  but  little,  on  account  of 
deficiency  in  type.  But  measures  had  been  taken  to 
remedy  the  defect,  and  great  expectations  were  enter- 
tained of  the  future  usefulness  of  that  instrumentality. 

For  the  wider  distribution  of  the  scriptures  and  to 
enlarge  the  influence  of  the  press  it  was  concluded  to 
send  forth  the  trustworthy  brother  Tannoos  El  Haddad 
as  a  colporteur  and  catechist.  With  his  knowledge  of  the 
scriptures,  accompanied  by  his  kind,  modest  and  yet 
earnest  mode  of  addressing  his  countrymen,  no  mission- 
ary probably  could  do  better  than  he  in  such  a  work — 
perhaps  not  so  well. 

A  boys'  boarding-school  was  opened  with  six  pupils, 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  319 

wliicli  it  was  intended  should  be  enlarged  to  become  in 
time  an  institution  for  the  supply  of  schoolmasters  and 
preachers  of  the  gospel.  The  boys  attended  the  mission 
meetings  for  worship,  formed  a  class  in  the  Sabbath- 
school,  were  under  daily  religious  training,  and  were 
giving  great  satisfaction  to  their  teachers. 

The  female  school  at  Beirut  was  highly  prosperous, 
having  about  forty  pupils,  two  of  whom  were  Jewish 
girls.  A  large  number  from  Mohammedan  families  had 
attended  during  the  summer,  but  for  some  unknown  rea- 
son did  not  return  after  the  vacation  in  August.  This 
school  was  originated  and  cherished  particularly  by  Mrs. 
Eli  Smith,  to  whom  was  added  afterwards  Miss  Williams. 
A  small  school  for  Druze  girls  was  taught  in  the  sum- 
mer on  the  mountains  by  Mrs.  Dr.  Dodge.  A  similar 
one  was  also  opened  for  Mohammedans  and  others  at 
Jerusalem. 

The  Sabbath-school  at  Beirut  was  attended  by  nearly 
twenty  females  and  half  as  many  males,  all  of  whom 
were  always  present  at  Arabic  preaching.  A  European 
Sabbath-school  or  Bible  class  was  also  in  operation  in 
the  chapel  of  the  American  consulate.  The  common 
schools  were  five,  with  three  hundred  pupils. 

In  the  early  part  of  1836  the  mission  was  strength- 
ened by  the  arrival  of  three  new  laborers,  Messrs.  Lan- 
neau  and  Hebard  and  Miss  Tilden.  Mr.  Hebard  was 
retained  at  Beirut,  the  others  were  assigned  to  Jerusalem 
as  colaborers  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Whiting. 

The  desirableness  of  a  more  complete  and  elegant 
fount  of  Arabic  type,  one  more  conformed  to  the  stand- 
ard of  native  taste,  was  thought  sufficiently  great  to 
justify  a  visit  by  one  of  the  missionaries  to  Germany. 
Mr.  Smith  was  accordingly  deputed  to  accomplish  this 


320  BIBLE    WOKK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS. 

important  object.  The  declining  health  of  Mrs.  Smith 
also  seeming  to  require  a  voyage,  they  both  embarked, 
with  three  English  fellow  passengers,  in  a  Prussian 
schooner  for  Smyrna.  For  want  of  favorable  winds, 
probably,  their  passage  was  made  around  the  eastern  end 
of  the  island  of  Cyprus.  Coming  to  the  coast  of  Cara- 
mania,  the  ship  at  nine  o'clock  at  night  ran  upon  rocks 
and  was  lost.  The  passengers  and  crew  reached  the 
shore,  but  of  their  goods  Mr.  Smith  was  able  to  save 
nothing  from  the  wreck,  with  the  exception  of  a  travel- 
ing-bag, two  mattresses  and  a  small  trunk  containing 
money.  The  bag  contained  cloaks  and  shoes,  but  these, 
as  well  as  the  mattresses,  had  been  soaked  with  water, 
and  were  useless.  Mrs.  Smith,  in  her  feeble  state,  with 
a  consumptive  cough,  had  no  resource  but  to  spend  the 
night  in  the  open  air,  upon  the  damp  sand,  and  with 
her  feet  thoroughly  wet.  In  the  morning  they  discov- 
ered a  large  Egyptian  lumber-boat  not  far  off,  the  cap- 
tain of  which  received  them  on  board,  offering  to  take 
them  to  any  near  harbor  which  they  might  choose.  But 
he  proved  himself  a  villain.  About  noon  he  brought 
his  passengers  into  the  desert  harbor  of  Salef  ki  (Seleucia). 
He  had  them  now,  as  he  supposed,  entirely  in  his  power, 
and  could,  for  the  rest  of  their  voyage  with  him,  extort 
from  them  whatever  terms  he  chose.  He  made  the  most 
exorbitant  demands,  and  insisted  on  being  paid  in  ad- 
vance. For  the  sole  purpose,  evidently,  of  carrying  his 
j)oint,  he  kept  his  vessel  at  anchor  in  this  miserable 
nook  forty-eight  hours,  the  passengers  spending  their 
days  under  the  shade  of  a  tree,  in  a  boisterous  wind, 
and  their  nights  in  the  open  air.  Their  food  was  dry 
biscuit,  saved  from  the  wreck,  some  rice  and  oil  pur- 
chased from  the  captain,  and  fresh  fish  caught  by  the 


BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS.  321 

Prussian  sailors.  Their  cooking  dish  was  a  copper 
wash-basin,  and  fingers  were  the  knives  and  forks.  On 
making  the  discovery  of  three  other  lumber  vessels 
anchored  at  a  distance,  the  passengers  determined  to 
have  nothing  more  to  do  with  their  Egyptian,  and  to 
risk  their  chance  with  the  other  boats.  They  accord- 
ingly paid  the  man  off,  and  he  immediately  quitted  the 
harbor. 

It  was  still  two  days  before  they  could  come  to  terms 
with  either  of  the  other  boats,  they  also  desiring  to  im- 
prove the  opportunity  to  make  a  speculation.  But  at 
length,  on  the  sixth  day  after  the  shipwreck,  they  were 
once  more  under  sail.  A  company  of  twenty-two  per- 
sons was  on  board ;  there  was  a  great  want  of  suitable 
food  for  any  but  hardy  sailors,  and  for  cooking  and  eat- 
ing they  had  but  one  pot,  one  pan,  one  plate  and  a  few 
wooden  spoons.  One  of  the  three  English  passengers, 
who  was  feeble  at  his  first  embarkation,  sunk  under  his 
exposures,  and  was  buried  in  the  sea.  In  four  days  they 
entered  the  harbor  of  Castello  Rosso.  Here  they  found 
a  Greek  vessel  ready  to  sail  for  Smyrna,  and  immediately 
took  passage  in  it.  They  were  two  days  and  two  nights, 
with  cold  and  sometimes  tempestuous  winds,  in  getting 
to  Rhodes,  during  which  time  Mrs.  Smith,  rather  than 
endure  the  filth  and  confined  air  of  the  narrow  cabin, 
kept  her  place  night  and  day  on  deck.  As  was  to  be 
expected,  she  took  cold.  All  her  symptoms  were  aggra- 
vated ;  and  when,  after  three  days'  resting  on  shore,  she 
was  called  to  resume  her  voyage,  she  had  to  be  carried 
to  the  vessel  in  a  chair.  Touching  at  Scio,  Mrs.  Smith 
was  furnished  by  the  missionaries,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hous- 
ton, with  a  blanket  to  sleep  under,  instead  of  her  cloak. 
Twenty-nine  days  from  the  time  of  their  first  disaster 


322  BIBLE   WORK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

brought  them  to  Sm}rrna,  where  they  were  joyfully  re- 
ceived into  the  family  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Temple.  Mrs. 
Smith  was  brought  and  laid  upon  her  bed  of  languish- 
ing, from  which  she  with  good  reasons  never  expected 
to  rise.  There  we  once  more  saw  her  wearing  the  same 
sweet  smile  as  ever  on  her  face,  and  wishing  that  all  her 
friends  when  they  called  to  see  her  would  also  bring 
their  smiles ;  it  would  cheer  and  comfort  her  heart. 
Every  care  was  bestowed  upon  her,  but  her  life,  which 
from  this  time  was  one  of  suffering,  gradually  wasted 
away  till  her  release  came  on  the  30th  of  September. 

The  character  of  Mrs.  Smith  is  one  of  those  which  it 
is  difficult  to  commend  too  highly.  Such  a  full  assem- 
blage and  such  a  perfect  symmetry  of  Christian  graces 
are  very  rarely  met  with  in  one  and  the  same  person.* 

Mr.  Smith  remained  in  Smyrna  and  Constantinople 
attending  to  some  preparations  for  the  producing  of  the 
Arabic  type,  whence  he  proceeded  to  Egypt  to  accom- 
pany Dr.  Edward  Robinson  in  his  celebrated  Tour  of 
Research  in  the  Holy  Land.  Having  accomplished 
this  enterprise  he  repaired  to  Leipsig,  in  Germany, 
where  he  superintended  the  casting  of  the  most  beauti- 
ful fount  of  Arabic  type  the  world  had  ever  seen.  In 
the  mechanical  preparations  for  this  noble  achievement, 
he  was  greatly  indebted  to  Mr.  Homan  Hallock,  the 
very  ingenious  missionary  printer  at  Smyrna.  Mr. 
Smith,  after  a  visit  to  his  native  land,  was  once  more 
found  at  his  post  in  Beirut,  after  an  absence  of  the 
greater  part  of  five  years.  His  types,  together  with  Mr. 
Hurter,  a  new  printer,  had  arrived  before  him.  Mean- 
time, however,  the  press,  with  all  its  deficiencies,  had 

*  See  the  interesting  biography  of  Mrs.  Sarah  L.  H.  Smith,  by 
Eev.  Dr.  E.  Hooker. 


BIBLE   WORK   IN    BIBLE   LANDS.  323 

not  been  entirely  dormant,  but  had  turned  off  a  million 
and  a  half  of  pages. 

During  the  rule  of  Ibrahim  Pasha  in  Syria,  it  was 
understood  that  men  were  to  be  left  free  in  their  religious 
sentiments;  there  was  to  be  no  persecution.  The  Emeer 
Besheer,  in  his  government  of  the  mountains,  yielded 
tacitly  to  this  law\  The  Maronite  patriarch,  however, 
did  what  he  dared  to  do  against  it.  He  had  not  for- 
gotten the  visit  to  Canobeen  made  by  the  soldiers  of  the 
pasha.  The  priests  no  doubt  shared  in  his  feeling  of 
resentment,  and  endeavored  to  shut  out  the  Bible  men 
from  all  residence  in  the  mountains.  Brummana  was 
called  a  Druze  village,  and  the  English  consul  and  the 
Protestant  missionaries  had  more  than  once  been  freely 
admitted  there.  But  the  patriarch  having  gained  one 
or  two  of  the  young  princes,  made  at  length  a  serious 
attempt  to  close  up  this  place  also.  Mr.  Thomson, 
having  hired  a  residence  there,  was  determined  to  assert 
his  right,  and  moved  up  both  his  family  and  the  board- 
ing-school. The  priests  immediately  set  about  their 
measures  of  annoyance.  The  people  w^ere  enjoined  not 
to  have  any  intercourse  with  the  new-comers.  A  girl  in 
the  family  came  home  from  the  church  one  day  bitterly 
Aveeping.  The  priest  had  excommunicated  her,  forbid- 
den her  entering  the  church,  terrified  her  with  the  most 
dreadful  curses,  and  ordered  her  immediately  to  quit 
Mr.  Thomson's  house.  Moreover,  the  young  emeers 
and  princesses  were  rather  remiss  in  exercising  their 
authority  for  the  church,  and  the  priest  was  bold  enough 
to  address  even  them  with  insolence,  and  laid  them 
under  an  excommunication.  Meeting  one  day  a  lad 
that  w^as  bringing  to  the  missionary  family  some  articles 
he  had  been  sent  to  purchase,  the  priest  seized  them  and 


324  BIBLE   WORK    IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

took  them  from  him  by  force ;  in  all  which  acts  of  an- 
noyance he  declared  he  was  simply  carrying  out  the 
orders  of  his  lord  the  patriarch. 

The  princes  did  not  long  maintain  any  stand  against 
their  spiritual  rulers.  They  sent  a  public  crier  one 
evening,  proclaiming  through  the  village,  in  the  name 
of  the  emeers,  that  no  one  should  sj^eak  to  the  heretics, 
nor  sell  to  them,  nor  visit  them,  nor  befriend  them  in 
any  way  whatever;  those  who  spoke  to  them  should 
have  their  tongues  cut  out,  and  those  who  sold  to  them 
should  be  bastinadoed,  and  have  their  houses  burned 
and  their  orchards  cut  down.  Copies  of  the  scriptures 
that  had  been  given  or  sold  to  the  people  were  searched 
out  and  burned.  One  of  the  princes  even  went  in  per- 
son to  a  Greek  school  and  violently  took  all  the  psalters 
he  could  find  and  destroyed  them. 

But  there  was  a  strong  reaction  among  the  people. 
The  consul  also,  being  informed  of  the  proceedings,  was 
highly  offended,  and  procured  an  officer  from  the  Emeer 
Besheer  to  put  an  immediate  stop  to  them.  The  officer 
came  to  the  village  and  instituted  a  formal  examination 
of  the  complaints.  The  emeers  and  the  missionary  had 
leave  to  state  their  cases  in  turn  before  the  commis- 
sioner. The  emeers  pleaded  that  they  were  under  orders 
from  their  spiritual  head  to  use  their  civil  power  to  guard 
the  church,  and  of  course  they  must  obey  him.  It  was 
the  business  of  the  civil  ruler  to  defend  the  true  relig- 
ion. Their  chief  speaker  often  repeated  the  maxim, 
"  No  sword,  no  church." 

Mr.  Thomson,  on  his  part,  defended  the  principle  of 
religious  liberty.  The  discussion  had  become  somewhat 
extended  when  the  officer,  growing  weary  of  it,  took  up 
the  subject  himself,  and   said   in   his  own  rough  way, 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  325 

"What!  Do  you  dare  say  the  sword  shall  reign  over 
the  conscience?  No  such  thing.  His  Highness  the 
viceroy  will  not  allow  it.  Neither  will  his  Happiness 
the  Enieer  Besheer  permit  the  sword  to  be  used  in  de- 
fence of  any  church.  What !  suppose  I  wish  to  change 
my  religion  ;  shall  I  have  my  head  cut  off  for  it  ?  For 
example,  I  am  a  Druze,  I  wish  to  become  a  Christian ; 
must  I  be  killed  for  that?'^  This  last  was  a  home 
thrust,  and  put  an  effectual  stop  to  the  controversy. 
The  emeers  dropped  their  heads  in  confusion,  for  all  of 
them,  except  the  old  father,  had  recently  made  this  very 
change. 

Thus,  after  four  or  five  hours'  animated  dispute,  the 
assembly  broke  up,  the  commissioner  declaring  that  no 
one  should  annoy  the  family  of  Mr.  Thomson  in  any 
manner ;  and  lifting  his  hand  and  casting  a  stern  look 
upon  the  princes,  he  said,  "  Who  is  there  that  ivill  dare 
rebel  against  the  mandate  of  the  governor^  of  these  moun- 
tains f 

In  the  evening  the  officer  gathered  the  people  together 
at  the  house  of  Mr.  Thomson,  and  in  the  name  of  the 
Emeer  Besheer  revoked  the  order  of  the  village  princes, 
proclaiming  full  liberty  to  all  to  visit  the  Protestant 
family,  to  trade  with  them,  serve  them,  carry  them  on 
their  shoulders  if  they  liked,  and  that  no  one  should  be 
called  to  account  for  any  such  acts,  either  by  the  emeers 
of  Brummana  or  by  any  one  else.  The  triumph  seems 
to  have  been  complete.  The  Emeer  Besheer  would  not 
formerly  have  done  so  much,  but  he  had  come  under  a 
new  regime.  He  had  become  "  learned  in  the  wisdom 
of  the  Egyptians.'' 

Mr.  Thomson,  some  time  after  this  contest  had  passed 
by,  opened  his  doors  to  his  neighbors  for  evening  prayers 

28 


326  BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE   LAN 

in  Arabic.  Soon  he  had  a  room  full  of  people  every 
niirht,  and  had  thus  for  weeks  an  audience  of  from 
twenty  to  forty  persons,  to  whom  he  preached  seven 
times  a  week  with  all  the  plainness  of  which  he  was 
master. 

Mr.  Thomson  had  had  sad  experience  of  the  eifects 
produced  by  an  earthquake.  But  the  account  he  gives 
ns  of  the  visitation  that  occurred  on  New  Year's  day  of 
1837  shows  it  to  have  been  worse  than  any  similar 
event  in  this  land,  perhaps  in  the  past  century,  unless  it 
were  that  of  Aleppo  in  1822. 

In  the  present  case,  the  shaking  of  the  earth  was  per- 
ceptible all  along  the  Syrian  coast,  but  as  a  calamity,  it 
was  known  only  between  Beirut  and  Jerusalem.  Among 
other  places  that  had  specially  suffered  was  the  Jewish 
city  of  Safed,  seated  high  up  upon  the  mountains  that 
overlook  the  sea  of  Galilee,  which  was  almost  wholly  de- 
molished. From  the  reports  which  came  respecting  the 
place,  it  was  known  that  the  necessities  and  distress  of  the 
inhabitants  who  had  survived  the  first  sudden  destruction 
must  be  extreme.  The  good  people  of  Beirut,  therefore, 
were  constrained  to  make  a  collection  for  their  relief, 
and  Messrs.  Thomson  and  Caiman*  were  chosen  a  dep- 
utation to  carry  and  administer  it.  The  journey  was 
one  of  exposure  at  that  unpropitious  season,  and  among 
villages  in  ruins,  where  lodges  are  few  and  where  storms 
are  to  be  endured  without  a  shelter,  but  it  was  one  quite 
befitting  the  missionary  office.  Their  work  was  emi- 
nently like  that  of  the  good  Samaritan,  to  take  care  of 
those  that  were  left  "  wounded  and  half  dead.'' 

On  their  way  the  two  delegates  ascertained  at  Sidon 
that  at  that  place  from  seventy  to  a  hundred  houses  had 
*  An  English  missionary  to  tlie  Jews. 


BIBLE    WORK    IX    BIBLE    LANDS.  327 

been  wholly  or  partially  thrown  down,  with  the  loss  of 
some  few  lives.  At  Tyre,  and  in  many  villages  in  the 
iuterior,  similar  damages  were  witnessed  along  the  way. 
On  the  ascent  of  the  mountain  of  Safed  several  fear- 
ful rents  and  cracks  in  the  earth  and  rocks  appeared, 
giving  j)ainful  indicatious  of  what  might  be  expected 
among  the  house-walls  of  the  city  above.  But  all  antici- 
pations proved  to  be  as  nothing  when  the  reality  burst 
upon  their  sight.  "Up  to  this  moment,^'  says  Mr. 
Thomson,  "I  had  refused  to  credit  the  accounts  that 
had  come  to  us,  but  the  first  frightful  glance  convinced 
me  that  it  was  not  in  the  power  of  language  to  overstate 
such  a  ruin.  The  Jewish  j^ortion  of  the  city,  containing 
a  population  of  five  or  six  thousand,  was  built  around 
the  slope  of  a  very  steep  mountain,  so  steep  and  so  com- 
pactly occupied  that  the  roof  of  the  lower  house  formed 
the  street  of  the  one  above  it,  the  streets  thus  rising  like 
a  stairway  one  step  above  another.  Thus,  when  the  tre- 
mendous shock  came  and  dashed  every  house  to  the 
ground  in  a  moment,  the  upper  house  fell  with  a  double 
force  upon  the  lower,  and  that  upon  another,  and  this 
seems  to  have  been  the  true  cause  of  the  almost  unpre- 
cedented loss  of  life  in  this  calamity.  Some  of  the  lower 
houses  were  covered  up  to  a  great  depth  with  the  ruins  of 
many  others  which  were  above  them.  From  this  also  it 
occurred  that  a  vast  number  of  persons  who  were  not 
instantly  killed  perished  before  they  could  be  dug  out, 
and  some  were  taken  out  five,  six,  and  one,  I  was  told, 
seven  days  after  the  shock,  still  alive.  One  solitary 
man,  who  had  been  a  husband  and  a  father,  found  his 
wife  with  one  child  under  her  arm  and  the  babe  with 
the  breast  still  in  its  mouth.  He  supposed  that  the 
babe  had  not  been  killed  by  the  falling  ruins,  but  had 


328  BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

died  of  hunger  endeavoring  to  draw  nourishment  from 
the  lifeless  mother.  Parents  heard  the  voices  of  their 
little  ones  crying,  "Father!  father!"  "Mother!  mother!" 
their  voices  growing  fainter  and  fainter  till  hushed  in 
death,  while  they  themselves  were  either  struggling 
desperately  to  free  themselves  or  laboring  to  remove  the 
fallen  timber  and  rocks  from  their  children.  What  a 
scene  of  horror  must  have  been  that  long  black  night 
which  closed  upon  them  In  half  an  hour  after  the  over- 
throw !  without  a  light  or  the  possibility  of  getting 
one,  four-fifths  of  the  population  under  the  ruins,  dead, 
or  dying  with  frightful  groans,  and  the  earth  still  trem- 
bling and  shaking  as  if  terrified  with  the  desolation  it 
had  wrought. 

"All  around  the  hill,"  writes  Mr.  Thomson,  "  nothing 
is  seen  but  one  vast  chaos  of  stone  and  earth,  timbers 
and  boards,  tables,  chairs,  beds  and  clothing,  mingled 
in  horrible  confusion.  Men  were  everywhere  at  work, 
worn  out  and  woe-begone,  uncovering  their  houses  in 
search  of  the  mangled  and  putrefied  bodies  of  departed 
friends,  while  here  and  there  I  noticed  companies  of 
two  or  three,  each  clambering  over  the  ruins  bearing  a 
dreadful  load  of  corruption  to  the  narrow  house  ap- 
pointed for  all  living.  I  covered  my  face  and  passed 
on  through  the  half  living,  wretched  survivors  of  Safed. 
Some  were  weeping  in  despair  and  some  laughing  in 
callousness  still  more  distressing.  Here  an  old  man  sat 
solitary  on  the  wreck  of  his  once  crowded  house ;  there 
a  child  was  at  play,  too  young  to  realize  that  it  had 
neither  father  nor  mother,  brother  nor  relation,  in  this 
wide  world.  They  flocked  around  us — husbands  that 
had  lost  their  wives,  wives  their  husbands,  parents  with- 
out children,  children  without  parents,  and  not  a  few 


BIBLE   WORK   IN   BIBLE    LANDS.  329 

who  were  the  solitary  remnants  of  large  connections. 
The  people  were  scattered  abroad,  above  and  below 
the  ruins,  in  tents  of  old  boards,  old  carpets,  mats, 
canvas,  brush  and  earth,  and  not  a  few  dwelling  in 
the  open  air,  while  some  poor  wretches,  wounded  and 
bruised,  were  left  among  the  prostrate  buildings,  every 
moment  exposed  to  death  from  the  loose  rocks  around 
and  above  them. 

"As  soon  as  our  tent  was  pitched  Mr.  Caiman  and 
myself  set  off  to  visit  the  wounded.  Creeping  under  a 
wretched  covering  intended  for  a  tent,  which  was  the 
first  we  came  to,  we  found  an  emaciated  young  female 
lying  on  the  ground  covered  with  the  filthiest  garments 
I  ever  saw.  Her  wounds  were  in  a  state  of  mortifica- 
tion, and  when  the  poor  old  creature  that  was  waiting 
upon  her  lifted  up  the  cover  of  her  feet  a  moment's 
glance  convinced  me  that  she  could  not  possibly  survive 
another  day.  The  foot  and  the  flesh  also  had  actually 
dropped  off  from  the  leg,  leaving  the  bone  entirely  bare. 
Sending  for  some  laudanum  to  relieve  the  intolerable 
agony  of  her  last  hours,  we  went  on  to  other,  but  equally 
dreadful,  scenes. 

"  Not  to  shock  the  feelings  by  detailing  at  length  what 
we  saw,  I  will  mention  only  one  other  case.  Clamber- 
ing over  a  pile  of  ruins  and  entering  a  low  vault  by  a 
hole,  I  found  eight  of  the  wounded  crowded  together 
under  a  vast  pile  of  crumbling  rocks,  some  with  legs 
broken  in  two  or  three  places,  others  so  horribly  lace- 
rated and  swollen  as  scarcely  to  retain  the  shape  of  mor- 
tals, while  all,  being  left  without  washing,  changing 
bandages  or  dressing  wounds,  were  in  so  deplorable  a 
state  as  to  render  it  impossible  for  us  to  remain  with 
them   long  enough   to  do  them  any  good.     Although 


330  BIBLE   WORK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

protected  by  spirits  of  camphor,  breatliing  through  my 
handkerchief  dipped  in  it,  and  fortified  with  a  good 
share  of  resolution,  I  was  obliged  to  retreat. 

'^  Convinced  that  while  they  remained  in  such  a  char- 
nel-house as  this,  without  air  but  such  as  would  be  fatal 
even  to  men  in  health,  no  medicine  or  surgical  treatment 
could  afford  them  relief,  we  returned  to  our  tent  resolv- 
ing to  erect  a  large  shanty  of  boards,  broken  doors  and 
timber,  for  the  accommodation  of  the  wounded.  In  this 
work  was  spent  the  remainder  of  our  first  day. 

"  We  found  the  greatest  difficulty  in  getting  boards 
and  timber,  and  when  carpenters  came  they  were  with- 
out proper  tools.  In  time,  however,  we  got  something 
in  the  shape  of  saws,  axes,  nails  and  mattocks,  and  all 
of  us  laboring  hard,  before  night  the  second  day  the 
result  began  to  appear.  The  governor  visited  and  great- 
ly praised  our  work,  declaring  that  he  had  not  thought 
that  such  a  thing  could  have  been  erected. 

*'  Some  of  the  wounded  were  brought  and  laid  down 
before  us  long  before  any  part  of  the  building  was  ready 
for  their  reception.  After  dark  I  accompanied  the  priest 
to  visit  the  remainder  of  the  Christian  population  of  the 
village.  These  were  never  numerous,  and  having  lost 
about  one-half  of  their  number,  are  now  crowded  into 
one  great  tent.  Some  were  wounded,  some  were  or- 
phans, some  were  poor.  To  all  of  them  we  gave  as  we 
were  able  according  to  their  need. 

"  During  the  building  of  the  shanty  the  earth  contin- 
ued still  to  tremble,  and  once  with  so  violent  a  motion 
that  a  cloud  of  dust  was  seen  rising  from  the  ruins,  and 
the  people  rushed  out  from  their  remaining  houses  in 
dismay.  Many  began  to  pray  with  lamentable  cries, 
and  females  beat  their  breasts  with  all  their  strength 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS.  331 

and  tore  their  garniGiits  in  despair.  Even  the  workmen 
of  the  shanty  threw  down  their  tools  and  fled." 

Having  prepared  their  little  hospital,  collected  the 
wounded,  distributed  medicines,  furnished  clean  band- 
ages for  wounds  and  hired  a  native  physician  to  attend 
in  their  place,  the  two  philanthropists  went  on  to  the  city 
of  Tiberias.  The  calamity  here  had  not  been  so  sweep- 
ing as  at  Safed.  Seven  hundred  only  of  twenty-five 
hundred  had  perished  here,  whereas  at  Safed  the  number 
was  five  or  six  thousand  out  of  ten  thousand.  The  only 
Jewish  physician  in  Tiberias  had  his  wife  and  children 
struck  dead  before  him,  and  his  own  leg  broken  below 
the  knee  and  held  fast  by  rocks  that  had  fallen  upon  it. 
So  he  remained  two  whole  days,  all  around  him  being 
too  much  occupied  with  the  cries  and  necessities  of  their 
own  friends  to  notice  his  case.  He  endeavored  to  pull 
down  upon  himself  the  overhanging  rocks  to  put  an  end 
to  his  existence,  but  could  not  effect  it.  He  was  finally 
relieved,  and  was  now  doing  well.  At  the  baths,  a  mile 
and  a  half  from  the  city,  no  house  had  been  demolished. 
Luby,  where  Mr.  Thomson  remembered  to  have  slept 
some  years  before,  was  a  ghastly  heap  of  ruins.  The 
old  sheikh  survived,  but  his  whole  family  of  eleven  per- 
sons perished.  In  Segara  every  house  was  destroyed. 
Kefr  Kenna  (Cana  of  Galilee)  was  left  unharmed,  but 
Arana  was  a  perfect  desolation.  At  Nazareth  the  large 
Latin  convent  had  suffered  considerably.  From  this  place 
the  brethren  went  directly  home,  arriving  after  a  twelve 
days'  absence. 

Here  again  Mr.  Thomson  is  constrained  to  bear  wit- 
ness to  the  amazing  absence  of  humanity  and  moral 
principles  among  the  natives  of  the  land.  He  exclaims, 
"  There  is  no  flesh  in  the  stony  heart  of  man.     Nothing 


332  BIBLE   WORK    IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

but  dreadful  punishments,  oft  inflicted  by  the  govern- 
ment, jDreserved  the  ruined  villages  from  becoming 
scenes  of  indiscriminate  plunder.  Taking  advantage  of 
the  necessities  of  their  neighbors,  no  man  would  work 
except  for  enormous  wages.  The  head  rabbi  of  Tibe- 
rias told  me  they  had  to  pay  about  sixty  dollars  for 
every  burial,  although  it  required  only  an  hour  or  two 
to  accomplish  it.  He  had  paid  out  of  the  public  purse 
upwards  of  seventy  thousand  piasters  for  this  purpose 
alone.  Nor  were  Jews  a  whit  behind  the  Muslims  in 
this  cold-hearted  villany.  I  never  saw  a  Jew  helping 
another  Jew  except  for  money.  After  our  hospital  was 
-finished  we  had  to  pay  a  high  price  to  have  the  poor 
wounded  creatures  carried  into  it.  Not  a  Jew,  Chris- 
tian or  Turk  lifted  a  hand  to  assist  us  except  for  high 
wages.'' 

The  Syria  mission  originated  in  the  cherished  desire 
of  American  Christians  to  restore  the  honor  and  power 
of  Christianity  in  the  holy  land,  and  especially  in  the 
city  where  was  offered  the  great  Sacrifice  for  the  sin  of 
tlie  world,  and  that  city  was  constantly  held  as  one  of 
the  stations  of  the  mission  from  the  time  of  its  being 
first  visited  by  Mr.  Parsons,  and  was  regularly  occupied, 
if  war,  sickness  or  death  did  not  prevent,  for  the  space 
of  twenty  years.  The  message  of  the  gospel  was  declared 
there  by  Messrs.  Fisk  and  King,  and  afterward  by 
others  to  small  audiences.  During  the  hot  months  of 
1841  the  preaching  service  was  transferred  from  Jerusa- 
lem to  Bethlehem,  at  which  latter  place  there  was  a  con- 
siderable improvement  in  the  number  of  hearers.  To 
most  of  the  Bethlehemites  preaching  was  a  new  thing. 
Some  had  never  before  heard  an  evangelical  sermon, 
and  in  general  they  listened  with  attention.     A  consid- 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 


335 


erable  number  of  them  were  from  the  Latin  Cliurch. 
These  often  expressed  their  regret  that  they  had  no 
scriptural  instruction  from  their  priests,  and  that  their 
public  prayers  were  in  an  unknown  tongue. 

The  ecclesiastics  of  the  three  large  convents  of  Beth- 
lehem were  of  course  opposed  to  the  residence  of  the 
Protestants  there,  and  had  it  not  been  for  the  intrepid, 
independent  spirit  of  the  people,  they  would  have  been 
driven  out  of  their  coasts. 


BETHLEHEM. 


Bethlehem  was  found  to  be  a  cool  and  healthy  place 
for  summer  residence,  and,  with  the  neighboring  villages, 
presented  an  inviting  field  for  the  Bible  work.  A  small 
common  school  was  kept  up  here  notwithstanding  the 
opposition  of  the  monks,  and  the  teacher  boldly  avowed 
himself  to  be  a  Protestant.  A  similar  school  was 
opened  in  Jerusalem,  against  which  the  monks  could  in 


336  BIBLE    WORK    IN   BIBLE    LANDS. 

no  way  prevail  except  by  opening  a  school  of  their  own 
on  the  same  plan,  thus  accomplishing  one  great  object 
of  the  Protestant  school  and  relieving  the  foreign  treas- 
ury from  the  expense.  The  monks,  however,  got  little 
credit  for  this  forced  charity  to  the  people,  for  they 
thanked  the  Protestants  as  the  real  cause  of  it,  and 
begged  them  to  go  on  establishing  schools  in  all  the  vil- 
lages, that  the  monks  might  be  roused  up  to  go  and  do 
likewise. 

A  small  school  taught  by  Miss  Tildin  was  attended 
by  ten  or  twelve  girls,  mostly  from  Muslim  families. 
Five  native  girls  had  been  taken  into  the  mission  fam- 
ilies with  excellent  success.  It  had  softened  the  pop- 
ular prejudice  against  female  education,  and  many 
applications  were  received  from  parents  both  in  Jerusa- 
lem and  in  Bethlehem  to  have  their  daughters  taken  for 
the  same  object. 

In  book  distribution  less  was  now  done  than  in  former 
years,  on  account  of  the  disturbed  state  of  the  country 
and  the  fewness  of  the  pilgrims.  But  in  proportion 
more  copies  were  sent  to  places  at  a  distance,  as  Hasbeiya 
and  Rasheiya  villages,  near  Mt.  Hermon,  toward  Da- 
mascus. Some  went  to  Nablus,  Nazareth,  Jaffa  and 
neighboring  villages,  and  the  books  most  sought  for 
were  Bibles  and  Testaments. 

Two  individuals  who  were  brought  into  notice  at  this 
station  deserve  a  special  mention.  One  was  Tannoos 
Kerm,  a  native  of  Nazareth,  and  claimed  by  the  Latin 
church  at  that  place.  He  had  been  a  married  man,  but 
residing  at  Safed  at  the  time  of  the  earthquake,  he  was 
then  bereaved  of  his  wife  and  three  children.  He  came 
in  his  solitariness  and  begged  to  be  received  as  a  helper 
in  the  gospel  work.     The  missionaries  had   had  some 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  337 

knowledge  of  the  man  by  report,  and  his  personal  ac- 
quaintance confirmed  their  confidence  in  his  Christian 
character.  He  was  employed  as  school  teacher  with 
success,  and  to  the  great  satisfaction  of  his  employers, 
and  not  only  so,  but  was  also,  to  some  extent,  a  teacher 
of  the  missionaries  themselves.  The  other  of  the  two 
persons  alluded  to  was  the  son  of  Omar  Effendi,  the 
chief  sheikh  of  the  green-turban  men,  the  descendants 
of  the  prophet  Mohammed,  the  same  man  who  in  1824 
interposed  in  behalf  of  the  missionaries  in  Jerusalem 
when  accused  by  the  Latin  monks  for  "selling  bad 
books.''  This  young  man  seemed  to  cherish  a  high  re- 
spect for  the  Protestant  religion,  as  his  father  also  evi- 
dently did.  He  had  for  some  time  shown  himself 
specially  friendly  to  Mr.  Whiting,  but  one  day  in  par- 
ticular, at  a  call  he  made  upon  him,  he  addressed  hira 
in  the  following  remarkable  terms :  "  You  know,  sir, 
how  Jesus  and  his  disciples  were  at  first  persecuted,  and 
how  their  teachings  were  rejected  by  almost  all  the 
people,  and  how  afterwards  they  gained  influence  and 
prospered,  and  the  gospel  everywhere  triumphed.  So 
you  now,  though  hated  and  despised  by  some,  yet  have 
no  need  to  be  discouraged.  Have  patience,  and  after  a 
while  people  will  be  convinced  that  the  truth  is  with 
you.  And  if  you  do  not  in  your  day  see  much  success, 
those  that  come  after  you  will.  This  is  not  the  work 
of  a  day.  It  takes  a  long  time  to  eiFect  important 
changes  in  men's  opinions  and  conduct.'^ 

"  This  man,"  Mr.  Whiting  remarks,  "  is  in  an  inter- 
esting state  of  mind.  He  reads  the  Bible  much.  He 
assures  me  he  has  read  the  New  Testament  many  times 
through.  His  frequent  references  to  passages  in  both 
the  Old  and  New  Testaments  show  that  he  has  read 

29 


338  BIBLE    WORK    IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

them  both  with  some  attention/^  Surely  it  was  not  to 
have  been  expected  that  so  much  could  be  said  of  a 
young  Mohammedan  brought  up  as  he  must  have  been, 
honored  for  his  relationship  to  the  prophet,  and  enjoying 
such  enticing  worldly  prospects  among  his  own  nation. 

It  has  been  intimated  that  the  labors  of  the  mission 
ceased  at  the  Jerusalem  station  in  1843.  Through  a 
part  of  this  year,  and  nearly  the  whole  of  the  previous 
one,  Mr.  Whiting  was  the  only  member  of  the  mission 
occupying  the  place.  He  was  seven  days  distant  from 
his  brethren  in  Beirut,  Mrs.  Whiting  was  suifering 
from  ill  health,  and  no  American  colleague  was  likely 
soon  to  be  sent  him  to  share  his  anxieties  and  aid  in 
his  labors.  Meantime  a  loud  call  for  help  came  from 
the  thousands  ready  to  perish  among  the  hills  and  vales 
of  Lebanon,  and  it  was  thought  be$t  that,  for  a  time  at 
least,  Jerusalem  should  be  left  to  the  co-laborers  from 
England,  and  that  the  American  forces  should  be  con- 
centrated more  in  the  region  of  Beirut  and  the  neigh- 
boring mountains.  Accordingly  Mr.  Whiting  was 
transferred  first  to  Beirut,  and  shortly  after  to  Abeih. 

The  station  of  Jerusalem  certainly,  in  prospect,  pre- 
sented many  attractions  for  Christian  effort,  and  perhaps 
no  friend  of  Christian  missions  had  questioned  the  pro- 
priety of  making  the  trial  of  it.  But  in  regard  to  the 
continuance  or  the  reoccupying  of  the  station,  the  follow- 
ing remarkable  providences  are  worthy  of  special  consid- 
eration. Of  the  first  two  missionaries  destined  to  the 
Holy  City,  Messrs.  Parsons  and  Fisk,  the  former  was  per- 
mitted to  visit  the  place  one  short  winter  only,  and  he 
died.  The  latter  made  it  three  visits,  amounting  in  all  to 
a  stay  of  six  or  eight  months,  and  he  died.  Next  an  Irish 
physician  was  sent  from  the  Jews'  Society,  England,  to 


BIBLE    WORK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS.  339 

occupy  the  city  as  a  permanent  station.  He  resided  there 
three  or  four  months  and  died.  After  remaining  vacant 
six  years  a  resohite  attempt  was  made  to  reoccupy  the 
station  by  Messrs.  Thomson  and  Nicolayson  with  their 
families.  Mrs.  Thomson  was  suddenly  taken  away  ere 
she  had  become  settled  in  her  house,  and  her  husband, 
like  a  man  met  by  a  club  at  the  door,  was  driven 
straight  back  to  his  starting-place.  The  intended  occu- 
pation, however,  was  immediately  after  carried  out  by 
Messrs.  Whiting  and  Dodge.  The  latter  was  spared  to 
occupy  his  post  but  a  little  more  than  a  month  when  he 
was  seized  with  a  fever  which  carried  him  off.  Mr. 
Lanneau  joined  Mr.  Whiting  in  1836,  and  was  obliged 
to  leave  in  1840.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sherman,  from  Amer- 
ica, arrived  in  the  latter  part  of  1839,  and  departed  in 
1842,  leaving  Mr.  Whiting  alone.  The  most  favored 
of  the  American  laborers  in  the  Holy  City  were  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Whiting,  who  were  privileged,  though  suffering 
under  much  bodily  infirmity,  to  hold  their  position  from 
the  close  of  1834  to  1843  ;  but  they  were  obliged  to 
seek  summer  residences  in  Bethlehem  or  elsewhere,  and 
once  to  retire  for  two  years  to  their  native  land. 

To  these  untoward  providences  may  be  added  those 
which  removed  by  death  the  only  three  persons  in  Jeru- 
salem who  ever  appeared  to  give  promise  of  being  es- 
sentially useful  to  the  mission,  namely,  Procopius  in 
1822,  Papas  Cesar  in  1826,  and  Papas  Esa  in  1834. 
The  evangelical  Bishop  Alexander,  from  England,  was 
removed  by  death  after  a  few  years'  residence  at  his  see, 
and  his  assistant,  Mr.  Nicolayson,  did  not  long  survive 
him.  Thus  this  mission  station,  either  by  death  or  by 
permanent  removal,  sustained  a  loss  of  twenty  laborers 
in  twenty  years.     And  may  it  not  be  considered  a  prov- 


340  BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

idence  having  the  same  unfavorable  aspect,  that  the 
people  of  that  devoted  city  have  been  so  left  of  God 
that  they  are  notoriously  more  debased  in  moral  cha- 
racter, and  less  impressible  by  gospel  truth,  than  almost 
any  other  people  in  the  land,  if  not  in  the  world  ? 

All  these  things  taken  together  form  an  assemblage 
sad  to  contemplate,  and  not  a  little  discouraging  to  the 
hope  of  the  speedy  regeneration  of  Jerusalem.  Some 
indeed  may  receive  them  as  being  divinely  so  ordered 
to  try  the  faith  of  believers,  but  others  may  perhaps 
quite  as  reasonably  understand  them  as  part  of  the  curse 
still  resting  upon  the  city,  and  as  indicating  that  the 
"forty  and  two  months'^  during  which  it  "shall  be 
trodden  under  foot  of  the  Gentiles"  are  not  yet  fulfilled. 

The  mission  station  at  Beirut  was  in  1840  further 
weakened  by  the  loss  of  two  more  of  its  members,  viz., 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hebard.  Mrs.  Hebard  died  on  the  8th 
of  February.*  From  this  time  Mr.  Hebard  himself, 
from  his  anxieties  and  deep  affliction,  became  incapaci- 
tated for  the  proper  discharge  of  his  missionary  duties, 
and  had  virtually  arrived  at  the  end  of  his  work.  He 
visited  Smyrna  and  Alexandria  and  other  places  in  quest 
of  health  without  avail,  and  finally  set  off  for  the  United 
States.  But  while  on  his  passage,  near  Malta,  he  was 
found  too  much  reduced  to  proceed.  He  was  accord- 
ingly taken  on  shore,  and  five  days  after  died  in  the 
triumph  of  faith,  f 

*  Mr?.  Hebard  came  to  Beirut  in  1835  with  the  special  object  of 
aiding  Mrs.  Smith,  who  was  her  particular  friend,  in  the  duties  of 
her  female  school.  She  arrived  as  Miss  Kebecca  W.  Williams, 
originally  from  East  Hartford,  Connecticut.  Her  marriage  with  Mr. 
Hebard  occurred  in  October,  1836. 

t  Mr.  Hebard  was  born  in  Lebanon,  New  Hampshire,  and  gradu- 
ated at  Amherst  College. 


BIBLE   WORK    IN   BIBLE   LANDS.  341 

The  discontent  of  the  Lebanon  monntaincers  with  the 
measures  of  the  Egyptian  government  broke  out  into  open 
rebellion,  and  the  month  of  June,  1840,  was  mostly  a 
month  of  war.  The  state  of  affairs  at  Beirut  in  the  be- 
ginning of  July  was  such  that  the  newly-arrived  mis- 
sionaries, Messrs.  E.  R.  Beadle,  Keyes  and  L.  Thompson, 
with  their  wives  and  Miss  Tilden,  retired  for  a  time  from 
the  tumult  of  the  region  of  Beirut  to  a  more  quiet  resi- 
dence at  Jerusalem. 

Mr.  W.  M.  Thomson  writes  about  this  time,  "The 
truth  is  that  our  good  city  of  Beirut  is  not  a  very  quiet 
abode  in  these  days,  and  it  has  required  an  effort  to  keep 
from  being  swept  overboard  by  the  fierce  tempest  of  war 
that  has  raged  since  the  last  thirty-five  days.  Messrs. 
Beadle  and  Thompson  having  closed  their  doors,  I  could 
not  see  a  single  friendly  light  in  all  the  suburbs  of  Bei- 
rut. Every  family  has  fled  to  town  except  those  who 
have  taken  refuge  in  my  house.  Our  native  friends. 
Bishop  Carabet,  Tannoos  el  Haddad,  Aboo  Yoosef  and 
E.  Fuaz,  with  their  families,  I  placed  in  our  large  book 
magazine  in  the  city.  As  to  my  own  house,  I  was  think- 
ing, as  I  went  round  at  bed-time  to  see  that  all  was  quiet, 
that  we  very  much  resembled  an  encampment  of  Ish- 
maelites.  Beside  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wolcott,  Dr.  Van  Dyck 
and  other  inmates  of  the  family,  we  have  forty  or  fifty 
others,  with  all  the  boys  of  the  seminary  whom  we  were 
not  able  to  send  home.  Most  of  these  people  have  wives 
and  children,  and  have  brought  their  goods  and  chattels 
with  them.  That  which  can  be  stowed  away  is  but  a 
portion  of  the  whole  mass,  while  the  remainder  is  sta- 
tioned, like  the  Arna-oot  soldiers  (Albanians),  who  are 
firing  around  us  in  regular  confusion,  in  every  nook  and 
corner.     Though  one's  heart  bleeds  to  sec  the  fear  and 

29  * 


342  BIBLE   WORK   IN    BIBLE   LANDS. 

distress  and  despair  of  this  poor  people,  yet  it  would 
have  disturbed  the  gravity  of  a  much  soberer  person 
than  I  am  to  have  Avalked  about  the  premises  and  seen 
this  strange  congregation  asleep. 

^^  As  to  the  city,  it  is  about  as  full  as  my  house.  The 
whole  population  of  the  vast  gardens  has  poured  into  it 
from  the  land  side,  and  the  pasha  from  the  other  side 
has  emptied  in  from  his  ships  many  thousands  of  his 
troops.  Since  the  area  within  the  walls  is  very  small 
at  best,  the  town  with  the  men  on  the  housetops  resem- 
bles a  North  River  steamboat  as  she  leaves  the  wharf. 
You  will  be  able  to  unite  with  us  in  devout  gratitude 
that  in  the  midst  of  such  scenes  we  are  all  kept  in  health 
and  in  safety  from  the  violence  of  evil  men.'^ 

The  commander  of  the  English  squadron  at  Besika 
Bay,  near  Smyrna,  having  heard  of  the  insurrection  of 
the  mountaineers  against  Ibrahim  Pasha,  sent  vessels  of 
war  to  Beirut  to  reconnoitre,  and  it  was  soon  understood 
that  a  fleet  of  the  combined  powers  of  Europe  was  ready 
to  appear  to  compel  the  pasha  to  give  up  his  hold  on 
Syria  and  return  into  Egypt.  In  these  circumstances 
the  missionaries  at  Beirut  availed  themselves  of  the  in- 
vitation of  Captain  Latimer,  of  the  American  corvette 
Cyane,  to  embark  on  board  his  vessel  for  Cyprus  till  the 
war  should  be  ended. 

The  Cyane  was  anchored  directly  opposite  the  town 
in  full  view  of  all. that  was  passing  both  on  the  water 
and  on  shore,  and  it  was  no  common  relief  to  our  friends 
to  find  themselves  seated  and  safe  from  war's  alarms 
under  the  ample  awning  of  one  of  their  country's  ships. 
The  very  next  morning  there  appeared  in  the  west  an 
immense  fleet  of  ships  sweeping  round  the  cape,  led  on 
by   the   flag-ship  of  the   British  Admiral,  Sir  Robert 


BIBLE   WORK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS.  343 

Stopford.  These  vessels,  added  to  those  already  col- 
lected in  the  harbor,  made  up  a  fleet  of  fifty-one  sail. 
Beside  the  twenty-four  Turkish  transports  there  were 
only  six  war  vessels  with  Turkish  and  Austrian  flags, 
all  the  rest  being  English.  "  They  anchored,''  writes  Mr. 
Thomson,  "in  concerted  positions,  and  the  whole  harbor 
through  the  day  presented  a  scene  of  the  highest  ex- 
citement. The  stern  command  from  the  harsh-tongued 
trumpet,  the  heavy  plunge  of  the  strong-armed  anchor, 
the  low  but  mighty  murmur  of  thousands  in  active  prep- 
aration, spreading  over  the  whole  surface  of  the  sea,  the 
boats  with  oflicers  in  full  dress  flitting  across  the  water 
in  every  direction,  in  prompt  obedience  to  the  mysterious 
signals  of  Admiral  Stopford  flying  at  the  mast-head  of 
the  Princess  Charlotte,  united  with  all  the  din  and  hurry 
and  confusion  of  a  large  armament  of  different  nations, 
customs  and  costumes  coming  to  anchor,  composed  such 
a  scene  as  is  rarely  beheld  and  never  forgotten." 

The  cannonading  of  the  city  began  on  the  following 
day  and  continued  daily  for  nearly  a  week,  when  the 
main  body  of  the  fleet  was  withdrawn.  In  the  midst  of 
this  season  of  cannonading,  however,  the  Cyane  left  the 
scene  of  war  and  came  to  anchor  before  Larnaca,  in  Cy- 
prus, and  after  landing  her  passengers  proceeded  toward 
Jaffa  to  look  after  the  missionaries  in  that  direction. 

Solyman  Pasha  was  obstinately  determined  to  hold 
possession  of  Beirut  to  the  last  extremity,  and  it  was 
after  a  month,  in  the  night  of  the  9th  of  October,  that  he 
evacuated  the  city.  The  allies  took  possession  of  it  the 
following  day,  and  on  that  day  it  so  hai:)pened  that  Mr. 
Wolcott  arrived  from  Cyprus,  being  deputed  by  his 
companions  to  ascertain  the  progress  of  the  war  and 
what  had  happened  to  the  mission  property  at  Beirut. 


344  BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS. 

He  came  first  to  the  house  of  the  American  consul  in 
the  city.  It  had  been  thoroughly  pillaged.  The  Egyp- 
tian soldiers  had  carried  off  whatever  they  thought 
proper,  and  the  rest  they  had  wantonly  destroyed. 
Chairs,  tables,  mirrors,  etc.,  lay  scattered  about  on  the 
floors  all  broken  to  pieces.  The  consul  himself  had  but 
just  landed  from  one  of  the  ships  where  he  had  been 
staying  during  the  bombardment.  Mr.  Wolcott  met 
him  at  his  house.  He  could  give  no  information  re- 
specting the  fate  of  the  missionaries'  houses  out  of  the 
city,  but  it  was  discovered  that  the  magazine  under  the 
consulate,  where  had  been  stowed  most  of  the  effects  of 
Messrs.  Beadle  and  Keyes,  had  not  been  broken  open. 

Having  made  these  discoveries,  Mr.  Wolcott  proceeded 
directly  to  the  mission-house,  some  fifty  rods  out  from 
the  city  walls,  which  had  been  the  residence  of  himself 
and  Mr.  Hebard.  As  he  drew  near  he  was  encouraged 
by  seeing  the  American  flag,  which  he  had  hoisted  be- 
fore his  departure,  still  flying.  Soon  he  met  his  janizary, 
who  gave  him  the  cheering  assurance  that  he  had  kept  his 
post  through  the  whole  siege,  and  that  although  the 
soldiers  had  encamped  in  his  garden,  yet,  except  by  the 
cannon  of  the  allies,  the  place  had  not  been  violated. 
The  walls  of  the  house  had  been  pierced  and  grazed  in 
a  number  of  places,  two  bombs  had  burst  in  the  yard, 
carrying  away  the  stone  gate-posts,  and  marks  of  the 
storm  were  visible  in  the  trees  and  fences  around,  but 
the  furniture  within  was  entirely  unharmed.  The  li- 
brary-room with  its  delicate  and  costly  apparatus  for  the 
seminary,  its  invaluable  manuscripts  and  books,  and 
especially  the  large  number  of  folio  volumes  of  the 
Christian  Fathers,  remained  safe,  just  as  when  left. 
With  a  grateful  heart  Mr.  Wolcott  repaired  to  the  house 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  345 

of  Mr.  Thomson.  The  wall  in  front  of  it  had  been 
raised  to  double  its  height  by  the  soldiers  and  used  as  a 
breast-work.  The  eonsular  janizary  had  fled,  but  an- 
other native  guard,  whom  Mr.  Thomson  had  placed  in  the 
house,  had  remained  the  only  occupant.  Though  much 
exposed,  it  had  wholly  escaped  injury.  Its  basement 
had  been  filled  with  goods  which  the  natives  brought 
thither  for  safety,  and  all  had  remained  untouched.  Mr. 
Smith's  house  remained  to  be  examined.  The  field 
around  it  had  been  ploughed  up  by  the  cannon  balls,  but 
on  entering  the  inclosure  no  traces  of  war  could  be  seen. 
The  beautiful  cypresses  were  still  standing  in  their  places, 
and  the  orange  and  lemon  trees  were  bending  unplucked 
beneath  their  rich  load.  The  basement  of  this  house 
had  been  used  for  the  printing  establishment,  and  the 
press  which  might  so  easily  have  been  broken,  and  the 
types  which  might  so  conveniently  have  been  trans- 
muted into  bullets,  were  waiting  in  good  order  to  be  set 
forward  again  in  the  work  of  God. 

A  preservation  so  entire  Mr.  AYolcott  and  his  asso- 
ciates had  not  suffered  themselves  to  expect.  The 
violence  and  rapacity  of  man  seemed  to  have  been 
restrained  by  the  visible  hand  of  God,  and  to  him, 
therefore,  they  did  not  fail  to  render  their  grateful  ac- 
knowledgments. 

Egyptian  rule  in  Syria  was  now  near  its  end.  Simul- 
taneously with  the  loss  of  Beirut,  Ibrahim  Pasha,  with 
that  part  of  his  army  under  his  immediate  command, 
suffered  a  signal  defeat  in  the  mountains  near  by,  and  in 
about  three  weeks  Acca,  the  only  well- fortified  city  on 
the  Syrian  coast,  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  allies.  From 
this  time  Ibrahim  acted  only  on  the  defensive,  and  com- 
menced a  retreat  in  which  he  made  no  pause  till  he  found 


346  BIBLE   WORK    IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

himself  again  in  his  native  Egypt.  The  Emeer  Besheer, 
who  was  allotted  a  certain  time  to  determine  whether  he 
would  give  in  his  adhesion  to  the  conquering  party  or 
not,  debated  his  conditions  till  his  allotted  time  was 
past,  and  was  taken  and  sent  a  prisoner  to  Malta,  from 
which  place  he  was  transferred  to  Constantinople,  in  the 
vicinity  of  which  city  he  died. 

The  missionaries  now  made  haste  to  return  to  their 
station,  but  their  schools  were  all  disbanded,  and  it  was 
a  considerable  space  before  their  operations  reverted  to 
their  former  regular  course.  The  greatest  damage  had 
been  inflicted  upon  the  boarding  boys'  seminary,  from 
which  a  number  of  the  more  advanced  youths,  allured 
by  offers  of  high  wages,  had  been  induced  to  join  the 
army  in  the  capacity  of  interpreters.  As  a  counterbal- 
ance, however,  to  this  loss,  the  seminary  had  been  fa- 
vored by  the  accession  of  a  well-educated  teacher  from 
the  patriarch's  own  college  at  Ain  Waraka.  The  reg- 
ular Sabbath-day  worshiping  congregation,  which  had 
been  composed  of  near  a  hundred  persons,  had  been 
scattered  to  the  winds,  but  the  sanctuary  doors  were 
again  thrown  open,  and  the  free  invitation  to  enter  went 
forth  to  all  who  were  athirst  for  the  water  of  life ;  old 
faces  and  new  faces  were  drawn  together,  and  the  place 
of  preaching  became  again  a  favorite  resort  to  a  goodly 
number. 

The  long-expected  fount  of  the  improved  Arabic  type 
arrived  from  Smyrna  in  the  spring  of  1841,  together 
with  Mr.  Hurter,  the  printer.  The  cliief  superintendent, 
the  Rev.  Eli  Smith,  D.  D.,  came  soon  after  from  th^ 
United  States. 

The  youths'  seminary  was  removed  for  the  summer 
to  Aa-raia,  on  the  mountain,  under  the  care  of  Messrs. 


BIBLE   WORK   IN    BIBLE   LANDS.  347 

Keyes  and  L.  Thompson.  Messrs.  Wolcott  and  Van 
Dyck  were  stationed  at  Deir  el  Kommer,  a  central  posi- 
tion among  the  Driizes;  it  being  a  time  when  this 
people  attracted  almost  the  whole  attention  of  the  mis- 
sion. They  were  awake  as  probably  they  never  were 
before  to  inquire  after  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus,  and 
more  tongues  than  could  be  had  were  needed  to  declare 
the  true  way  of  life  to  the  perishing,  yet  it  pleased  God, 
whose  judgments  are  unsearchable  and  his  ways  past 
finding  out,  to  bereave  the  needy  laborers  of  one  more 
of  their  number.  The  lot  fell  upon  Mrs.  Wolcott. 
The  heats  of  summer  were  past,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Wolcott  had  come  down  from  their  mountain  residence 
in  Deir  el  Kommer,  when,  after  a  very  short  interval, 
the  latter  was  taken  ill  and  sunk  rapidly  into  the  arms 
of  death,  expressing  the  deepest  penitence  and  humility, 
and  with  the  faith  of  Stephen,  uttering  among  her  last 
words,  the  martyr's  prayer,  "Lord  Jesus,  receive  my 
spirit.'' 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

Patriarch's  ambition  and  defeat — Dr.  and  Mrs.  DeForest — Death  of 
INIrs.  Smith — Case  of  Eaheel,  tried  for  her  faith — Abeih  occupied 
— Hasbeiya  waking  up — Fierce  persecutions  assail  the  inquirers 
— Alarming  threats — Temporary  retreat  to  Abeih — Dishonorable 
meddling  of  the  Kussian  consul — The  persecutors  become  advo- 
cates— The  Protestants,  after  severe  trials,  fence  off  a  cemetery, 
have  a  church  of  seventeen  members  and  regular  supply  of 
preaching. 

IN  the  time  of  tlie  Sheikh  Besheer,  the  proper  chief 
of  the  Druzes,  the  interests  of  that  nation  had  a  pow- 
erful influence  in  the  government  of  the  mountains. 
But  when  that  chieftain  fell,  and  the  Emeer  Besheer 
reigned  without  a  rival,  the  Maronite  people,  led  by 
their  hierarchy,  assumed  to  themselves  a  new  import- 
ance, and  treated  their  Druze  fellow  citizens  with  disre- 
spect, and  sometimes  with  haughty  contempt.  A  series 
of  events  in  the  course  of  years  had  conspired  to  in- 
crease in  the  Druzes  their  sense  of  degradation,  and  their 
envy  and  hatred  toward  their  lordly  Maronite  neighbors 
became  excessive.  The  Druze  sheikhs,  who  still  held 
the  government  over  many  villages  in  the  mountains, 
perceived  a  growing  insubordination  in  their  Christian 
subjects,  in  which  insubordination  the  patriarch  was 
known  to  encourage  them.  The  course  of  that  ambi- 
tious prelate  had  become  such  as  to  leave  little  doubt 
that  he  intended  to  make  himself  virtually  the  chief 
ruler  of  the  mountains,  and  to  break  down  the  power 

348 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  349 

of  the  Druzes,  if  not  even  to  drive  them  from  the  whole 
of  Lebanon.  They  became  aware  of  the  patriarch's 
plan  about  the  same  time  that  it  was  discovered  that  he 
had  been  sending  petitions  to  the  Sultan  to  drive  the 
Protestants  out  of  the  country  as  disturbers  of  the  peace. 
The  subsequent  conduct  of  his  Holiness  had  been  but  a 
further  development  of  his  plan.  The  large  sums  of 
money  sent  by  France  and  Austria  for  the  sufferers  in 
the  late  war  he  had,  as  w^as  generally  believed,  hoarded 
up  for  military  purposes.  A  Christian  prince  (the 
Emeer  Milhem),  late  governor  of  Beirut,  w^as  chosen 
by  him  to  lead  his  forces,  and  ample  funds  were  en- 
trusted to  him  to  hire  retainers.  The  Christians  were 
encouraged  to  look  to  the  patriarch  rather  than  to  their 
Druze  governors  for  the  regulation  of  their  civil  affairs. 
He  had  required  Druze  owners  of  houses  to  refuse  let- 
ting their  houses  to  Protestants  for  temporary  residences, 
and  now  he  was  interfering  with  the  education  of  their 
children,  and  so  effectually  that  to  avoid  an  0i3en  quar- 
rel the  Druze  chiefs  in  Deir  el  Kommer  felt  oblio-ed  to 
allow  a  school  to  be  broken  up  which  they  had  solicited 
to  be  established  for  their  own  children.  By  the  patri- 
arch's authority  a  committee  of  select  men  was  ap- 
pointed in  Deir  el  Kommer  who  interfered  boldly  with 
the  government  of  the  sheikhs;  and  finally  the  ruling 
prince  of  the  mountains,  occupying  the  seat  of  the  late 
Emeer  Bcsheer,  was  surrounded  with  a  council  whose 
evident  design  was  to  strip  the  Druze  sheikhs  of  the 
last  vestige  of  their  power. 

The  oppressed  Druzes  thought  that  they  had  borne 
these  encroachments  long  enough,  and  one  day  in  tlie 
month  of  October,  1841,  soon  after  Messrs.  Smith,  ^Vol- 
cott  and  Van  Dyck  had  left  Deir  el  Kommer,  at  a  con- 

30 


350  BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

certed  hour  the  leaders  of  all  the  feudal  families,  at  the 
head  of  their  meu,  poured  into  that  village  from  every 
side.  About  half  the  town  was  pillaged  and  burned, 
and  the  ruling  prince  was  besieged  in  his  palace. 

The  prelate  of  Canobeen  was  roused.  He  immediately 
proclaimed  a  crusade,  armed  two  of  his  own  bishops,  and 
ordered  them,  in  the  true  style  of  Peter  the  Hermit  or  of 
the  belligerent  popes,  to  march  at  the  head  of  his  troops. 
They  assembled  at  the  palace  of  the  Emeer  Milhem,  at 
the  foot  of  Lebanon,  to  the  number  of  four  or  five 
thousand  men.  As  they  attempted  to  ascend,  however, 
to  meet  the  foe,  they  were  confronted  by  the  infuriated 
people  of  a  single  village,  and  driven  like  sheep  down 
the  mountain.  This  was  but  a  specimen  of  the  success 
of  the  Druzes  in  nearly  all  their  subsequent  encounters. 
The  new  crusaders  found  it  impossible  to  penetrate  to 
their  own  capital  to  relieve  it  from  its  besiegers.  On 
one  occasion,  however,  a  detachment  reached  about  half 
way  toward  it,  and  in  a  mixed  village  burned  all  the 
Druze  houses  found  in  it.  The  next  visit  was  by  the 
Druzes,  Avho  finished  the  desolation  by  burning  all  the 
houses  of  the  Christians.  From  this  time  was  inaugu- 
rated a  system  of  mutual  pillage  and  burning  among  all 
the  border  villages  of  the  two  races.  Villages  were 
destroyed  by  the  dozen,  and  convents,  some  of  them 
the  richest  the  Maronites  possessed;  were  plundered  and 
burned.  Deir  el  Kommer  surrendered  and  gave  up  its 
arms.  The  chief  prince  and  his  suite  were  permitted  to 
retire  on  consenting  to  leave  the  government  chest 
behind  them.  But  they  were  robbed  and  maltreated  on 
their  Avay,  and  the  president  of  the  new  Maronite 
council  walked  the  whole  distance  to  Beirut  barefoot 
and  with  only  a  single  article  of  dress  upon  him.     The 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  353 

villages  of  Hadct  and  Ba-abda,  in  the  latter  of  which 
villages  was  the  palace  of  the  Eraeer  Milliem,  the  patri- 
arch's commander-in-chief,  shared  in  the  common  de- 
struction. The  war  continued  as  it  began,  under  the 
impulse  of  the  worst  passions.  On  the  part  of  the 
Druzes,  it  was  a  war  of  defence  for  altars  and  firesides ; 
on  that  of  the  Maronites,  a  w^ar  of  intended  extermi- 
nation. Outrages  were  common  on  both  sides,  but  in 
most  if  not  all  cases  the  Maronites  were  apparently  the 
aggressors,  and,  where  they  had  opportunity,  conducted 
themselves  worse  than  their  enemies.* 

The  final  result  was  decidedly  in  favor  of  the  Druzes. 
They  were  left  in  undisputed  possession  of  their  moun- 
tain district.  The  patriarch's  ambition  was  comj)lctely 
humbled,  while  all,  even  his  own  party,  cast  upon  him 
the  blame  of  the  whole  mischief.  After  the  disastrous 
issue  of  this  "  holy  war ''  of  the  patriarch,  and  his  futile 
negotiations  at  Constantinople,  he  seems  to  have  re- 
mained for  a  season  in  quiet  seclusion.  The  Druzes,  by 
their  struggle,  had  lost  nothing  of  their  friendliness  to  the 
mission,  but  continued  loud  in  their  demands  for  schools. 

*  Of  the  spirit  of  the  papists,  let  the  following  letter  of  a  bishop 
to  his  men  in  the  field  serve  as  a  specimen :  "  We  understand  you 
have  been  helped  to  a  victory  over  the  insolent  infidel  enemies  of  the 
holy  faith  at  Meristeh,  which  victory  has  been  by  the  favor  of  God 
most  high,  and  by  the  intercession  of  his  mother.  We  praise  to  the  high- 
est degree  your  zeal,  only  you  have  been  faulty  in  not  burning  the  vil- 
lage. The  entire  correct  course  was  to  have  burned  it.  Hereafter, 
take  good  heed,  if  you  are  victorious,  not  to  stop  short  of  burning 
and  entire  destruction.  Our  only  caution,  beloved  sons  and  honored 
brethren,  is  that  you  abuse  not  the  women.  Aside  from  that,  burn, 
kill,  plunder,  hesitate  at  nothing  whatever.  Be  ever  constant  in 
prayer  and  corifessions,  inasmuch  as  this  is  a  holy  war;  go  on  and 
fear  nothing:  and  we  lift  up  the  hands  of  supplication  to  the  Father 
of  lights  that  he  may  a^esist  you  and  give  you  victory." 
30  * 


354  BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

At  this  period  the  mission  strength  was  increased  by 
the  addition  of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  De  Forest,  and  at  the  same 
time  weakened  by  the  death  of  the  second  Mrs.  Smith. 
Among  the  many  evidences  adduced  in  proof  of  the  pe- 
culiar fitness  of  Mrs.  Smith  for  the  position  she  occupied 
was  ^^her  well-ordered  household,  which,  while  it  gave  a 
comfortable  home  to  her  family,  furnished  a  useful  and 
impressive  model  to  ihQ  natives  of  her  own  sex  who 
frequently  came  to  inspect  it.''  She  had  the  finishing 
polish  to  put  upon  the  mind  and  spirit  of  a  fine  little 
daughter  of  the  land,  whom  the  first  Mrs.  Smith  had 
taken  to  bring  up  and  rescue  from  the  poverty  and  im- 
pending infamy  to  which  she  was  exposed  in  the  house 
of  her  birth. 

This  youthful  daughter  became,  particluarly  by  the 
kind  treatment  and  religious  instruction  of  the  two 
Mrs.  Smiths,  so  strongly  attached  to  the  family  that 
neither  parents  nor  relatives,  nor  the  powers  that  be,  civil 
or  ecclesiastical,  could  persuade  her  to  leave  it.  She  ])e- 
came  a  member  of  the  Protestant  Church,  and  lier  case 
came  to  be  made  a  matter  of  public  examination  and 
trial,  and  was  remarkable  as  the  one  which  brought  to  a 
favorable  issue  at  Beirut  the  question  whether  native 
Protestants  sliould  be  considered  before  the  law  as  on  an 
equal  footing  with  native  members  of  other  Christian 
churches. 

The  father  of  Rah  eel  (Rachel)  had  died,  and  the  widow 
not  sustaining  a  good  reputation,  the  daughter  had  not 
for  two  years  spent  a  night  at  the  home  of  her  childhood. 
Soon  after  her  union  with  the  mission  church  at  Beirut 
the  mother  insisted  on  her  return  to  her  own  family, 
saying  that  an  offer  had  been  made  for  her  in  marriage 
and  she  must  come  and  get  herself  ready.     Rahcel  was 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  355 

of  age  and  was  (Ictcrmincd  not  to  marry  a  Greek,  and 
especially  one  whom  her  mother  would  be  likely  to 
choose  for  her.  However,  she  went,  in  company  with 
one  of  the  missionaries,  to  visit  her  mother,  and  on  that 
occasion  was  treated  with  proper  civility,  but  on  a  sec- 
ond visit  she  was  forcibly  detained.  Kecourse  was  im- 
mediately had  to  the  consul,  who  sent  his  janizaries, 
and,  in  spite  of  the  family  and  the  collected  neighbors, 
effected  her  release.  The  mother  and  the  son-in-law, 
with  a  party  of  Albanian  soldiers,  threatened  to  take  the 
young  woman  by  violence,  and  the  Prussian  consul  liv- 
ing near  by  received  her  for  safety  into  his  family.  The 
pasha  was  of  course  complained  to  by  the  relatives,  but 
on  hearing  the  full  account  of  the  case  from  the  janiza- 
ries he  seemed  satisfied,  notwithstanding,  he  said,  it  wa& 
important  that  he  should  see  the  girl  himself  and  have 
an  account  of  the  matter  from  her  own  lips.  He  sent, 
therefore,  a  polite  request  to  his  Excellency,  the  consul, 
that  he  would  favor  him  with  the  girl's  presence  under 
the  escort  of  a  dragoman  and  a  janizary  from  the  con- 
sulate. The  request  was  readily  complied  with,  and 
poor  Raheel  was  taken  to  appear  before  the  pasha  and 
his  full  council. 

"  Girl,''  said  the  pasha,  "  what  is  your  story  ?" 
Raheel — "When  I  was  a  little  girl  my  father  gave 
me  to  Mr.  Smith  to  be  a  member  of  his  family.  He  has 
brought  me  up  as  his  child.  When  my  father  died  he 
left  me  with  Mr.  Smith,  and  now  his  house  is  my  home. 
Yesterday  I  called  to  see  my  mother,  and  was  forcibly 
detained  contrary  to  my  remonstrances  and  those  of  my 
friend  who  accompanied  me.  That  friend  hastened  to 
inform  Mr.  Smith,  who  came,  and  then  I  escaped." 
"  Did  he  take  you  away  contrary  to  your  will  ?" 


356  BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

"No/' 

"  Where  do  you  now  wish  to  live  ?" 

"With  Mr.  Smith/' 

"  AYhy  do  you  not  wish  to  live  with  your  mother  ?" 

"  There  are  reasons  which  cannot  be  told  here." 

"  But  I  wish  to  know  what  they  are.'' 

"They  are  sufficient;  but  as  I  have  been  taught  from 
my  childhood,  I  think  it  is  not  proper  that  I  should 
mention  them." 

The  pasha  knew  the  reasons  and  told  them  quietly  to 
his  council,  who  sat  by.  Then  turning  to  Raheel  he  said, 
"Well,  girl,  you  may  go  to  the  place  you  have  chosen." 
So  the  girl  was  conducted  back,  and  the  civil  liberty  of 
Protestants  was  so  far  vindicated.  But  this  was  not  all 
the  trial  to  which  the  poor  girl  was  to  be  subjected. 
Another  suit  was  brought  against  her  by  the  Greek 
bishop  of  the  city,  and  the  pasha  was  induced  to  send  a 
demand  verbally  that  she  should  appear  that  very  day 
before  the  bishop  and  offer  her  religious  confession  ac- 
cording to  the  custom  of  the  Greek  Church.  Raheel 
was  consulted  as  to  what  she  would  do.  She  replied 
that  she  was  not  a  member  of  the  Greek  Church  nor 
subject  to  the  bishop,  nor  would  she  confess  to  him  or 
any  of  his  clergy.  The  English  and  Prussian  consul- 
generals  were  consulted  and  their  advice  taken.  Even 
the  natives  themselves  protested  loudly  against  the 
bishop  for  this  interference  with  the  rights  of  the  laity, 
and  not  only  the  orthodox  Greeks,  but  the  Greek  Cath- 
olics also,  for  once  took  sides  with  the  Protestants  against 
such  a  demand  from  a  Greek  ecclesiastic.  AVhen  Ra- 
heel's  answer  was  reported  back  to  the  pasha,  he  imme- 
diately replied  that  the  relatives  had  been  complaining 
to  him  that  the  missionaries  were  endeavoring  to  make 


BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  357 

the  girl  a  Protestant  by  force,  and  now  all  he  wished  was, 
that  siie  should  go  before  the  bishop  as  she  had  been  be- 
fore him,  declare  her  mind  freely,  and  then  go  where  she 
chose.  This  liberal  reply  of  the  pasha  was  a  great  relief 
to  the  anxieties>of  the  Protestant  friends  of  Kaheel.  But 
she  was  quite  reluctant  to  appear  before  the  bishop  at  all. 
It  would  be  a  great  trial  to  her  own  feelings,  as  it  prob- 
ably would  be  to  his,  and  the  missionaries  were  unwill- 
ing to  use  any  constraint  with  her  in  the  case.  It  was 
therefore  concluded  that  she  should  return  answer  to  the 
j^asha  that  she  acknowledged  in  no  sense  w^hatever  the 
authority  of  the  Greek  bishop,  and  had  no  sort  of  con- 
nection with  him;  that  the  pasha  was  the  person  whom 
she  knew  as  the  governor  of  the  country,  and  if  he  saw 
fit  to  command  her  she  would  again  appear  before  him, 
as  she  had  already  done,  and  satisfy  any  doubts  he  might 
have  respecting  her  ecclesiastical  relations.  This  final 
reply  of  Raheel  was  given  to  the  dragoman  of  the  pasha, 
to  be  communicated  in  case  the  latter  should  again  call 
up  the  subject.  Nothing  more  was  heard  of  the  matter, 
and  the  missionaries  were  encouraged  to  believe  that  the 
right  of  a  native  Christian  to  become  a  Protestant  if  he 
chose  would  not  again  be  brought  in  question. 

The  village  of  Abeih  began  to  be  thought  of  for  the 
use  that  might  be  made  of  it  for  the  mission  work.  It 
was  situated  in  the  Druze  quarter  of  Lebanon,  high  on 
its  western  slope,  overlooking  the  sea  and  the  plain  of 
Beirut,  and  contained  about  two  hundred  Druze  and 
Maronite  families.  Among  its  buildings  were  two  pal- 
aces of  the  emeers  and  two  small  convents.  For  quiet- 
ness and  safety,  if  not  for  health,  it  was  preferable  as  a 
place  of  residence  to  Deir  el  Kommer.  Besides,  it  had 
the  advantage  of  being  by  half  the  distance  nearer  to 


358  BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

Beirut.  The  missionaries  decided  to  make  it  one  of 
their  central  stations,  and  to  it  they  designated  Messrs. 
Whiting,  Thomson  and  Van  Dyck.  In  a  little  time  the 
shyness  and  reserve  of  the  native  residents  disappeared, 
and  both  Maronites  and  Druzes  began  to  look  upon 
their  new  neighbors  as  their  best  friends.  Even  the 
Maronite  priests  and  monks,  perhaps  constrained  by 
witnessing  the  friendly  disj^osition  of  their  people,  evi- 
dently sought  the  missionaries'  good-will.  During  the 
first  summer  of  their  residence  at  Abeih,  Mr.  Thomson 
remarked  that  he  had  had  more  friendly  intercourse  with 
the  Maronite  priestliood  than  during  all  his  previous 
missionary  life.     This  was  in  the  year  1843. 

They  had  a  good  school  in  Abeih  numbering  fifty 
pupils,  and  these  were  taught  by  a  Maronite  who  had 
lately  embraced  evangelical  sentiments.  He  had  suf- 
fered the  usual  denunciations  of  the  Maronite  bishop, 
but  without  any  great  annoyance.  The  Latin  convent 
in  the  village  had  had  no  occupant  for  many  years,  but 
now,  according  to  the  established  law  of  papal  resistance, 
an  Italian  monk  was  sent  to  fit  up  the  building  and  open 
an  opposition  school  for  teaching  Italian  and  Arabic. 

The  mission-school  in  this  village  of  Lebanon  in- 
creased in  importance,  and  at  a  later  day  became  known 
as  the  Abeih  seminary.  Its  pupils  were  here  trained 
for  work  as  evangelists,  and  have  gone  forth  to  preach 
the  gospel  all  through  Syria  and  the  East.  The  sem- 
inary buildings  were  erected  in  1849.  They  are  of 
compact  limestone,  one  story  in  height,  and  stand  on 
sloping  ground  facing  northward.  Within  its  walls  the 
intelligent  young  men  of  Syria  are  now  preparing  for 
the  work  of  the  ministry. 

Beside  this  school  at  Abeih,  others  were  at  this  time 


BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  361 

in  operation  on  the  mountains,  containing  between  three 
and  four  hundred  pupils,  of  whom  about  one  half  were 
Druzes.  The  number  of  schools  might  now  have  been 
doubled  had  not  funds  unhappily  been  wanting. 

Among  the  mountains  of  Anti  Lebanon,  near  the  foot 
of  Mt.  Hermon  and  the  sources  of  the  Jordan,  north- 
east of  Tyre,  is  a  large  village  called  Hasbeiya,  inhab- 
ited by  Druzes  and  a  considerable  number  of  Arab 
Christians  of  the  Greek  rite.  In  the  infancy  of  the 
Syrian  mission,  in  1826  and  1827,  we  had  there  a  flour- 
ishino^  school,  as  also  in  some  smaller  towns  in  the  neiah- 
borhood.  Through  this  channel,  and  from  books  ob- 
tained from  the  stations  at  Beirut  and  Jerusalem,  the 
people  had  acquired  some  knowledge  of  a  class  of 
Christians  called  English  or  Protestants.  Individuals 
among  them  had  visited  these  new  men  at  Beirut,  and 
learned,  to  some  extent,  their  peculiar  articles  of  belief. 
It  happened  that  there  arose  a  dispute  among  the  Greeks 
of  Hasbeiya  about  taxation,  and  one  party  resolved  to 
leave  the  Greeks  and  form  some  new  organization. 
Accordingly  they  sent  a  deputation  to  Beirut  to  negotiate 
a  union  with  the  Protestants.  The  missionaries  told 
them  fully  what  Protestantism  w^as,  bade  them  go  home, 
pay  their  taxes  as  good  citizens  should,  become  reconciled 
with  their  neighbors,  and  as  soon  as  they  could  write  and 
say  they  had  done  this,  they  would  send  them  a  teacher, 
and  perhaps  finally  come  in  person.  They  gave  them  no 
encouragement  to  suppose  that  they  could  save  them  from 
taxation  ;  nevertheless,  the  men  still  chose  to  carry  out 
their  plan  of  union  with  the  Protestants,  and  left  Beirut 
saying  they  would  conform  to  the  advice  given  them, 
but  that  to  the  Greek  Church  they  never  would  return. 

Unexpectedly,  in  a  few  days,  word  came  from  Has- 

31 


362  BIBLE   WORK    IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

beiya  that  they  had  complied  with  the  proposed  condi- 
tions and  begged  that  the  promises  made  them  might  be 
fulfilled  immediately.  Two  of  the  native  brethren  were 
consequently  sent  them,  and  after  them  Messrs.  Smith 
and  Whiting  went  to  them  in  person.  These  last  were 
gratified  with  the  appearance  of  the  men  quite  beyond 
their  expectations,  and  were  convinced  that  the  excite- 
ment had  its  origin  in  something  higher  than  mere 
earthly  considerations  or  human  agency.  They  were 
visited,  from  time  to  time,  by  different  missionaries  and 
by  the  native  brethren,  some  of  the  latter,  by  long  prac- 
tice, having  become  very  effective  defenders  and  advo- 
cates of  the  evangelical  truth.  A  good  school  was 
taught  in  the  town  by  an  energetic  and  decided  young 
man,  zealous  for  the  gospel,  apt  to  learn  and  apt  to  teach. 
He  had,  of  his  own  notion,  committed  to  memory  the 
Assembly's  shorter  catechism,  and  was  teaching  it  to  his 
pupils.  Many  others,  men  and  women  as  well  as  chil- 
dren, had  learned  and  were  learning  portions  of  the 
catechism  and  scripture  passages. 

In  the  heat  of  summer,  six  months  after  the  first  steps 
had  been  taken,  Mr.  Thomson  went  to  them  accom- 
panied by  Tannoos  el  Haddad.  Their  arrival  was  most 
timely.  The  whole  town  was  in  commotion.  Thirty 
horsemen,  with  five  or  six  priests,  had  come  to  town  the 
day  before  from  Zahleh,  sent,  as  was  believed,  by  the 
patriarch  to  bring  back  his  wandering  sheep  by  force. 
They  went  to  work  with  true  persecuting  zeal,  leaving 
no  measures  untried.  Entreaties,  threats,  bribes,  re- 
proaches and  actual  violence  were  all  employed.  In 
tliis  work  they  were  helped  on  by  a  band  of  youths, 
who  had  entered  into  a  league  like  the  Jerusalem  Jews 
ao-ainst  Paul.     The  confusion  and  distress  in  the  Protes- 


BIBLE    WORK    IN   BIBLE   LANDS.  363 


tant  families  were  indescribable.  At  length  an  order, 
procured  by  Mr.  Wood,  the  English  consul  at  Damascus, 
came  from  the  pasha,  commanding  the  emeer  of  the 
place  to  protect  the  Protestants.  The  party  of  horse- 
men then  retired,  not,  however,  without  some  little 
success. 

Notwithstanding  the  pasha's  order,  the  five  priests  of 
the  village,  aided  by  the  mischievous  "  Society,^'  were 
still  able  to  carry  on  a  system  of  annoyance.  The  Prot- 
estants were  repeatedly  beaten,  spit  upon,  turned  out  of 
their  houses,  and  everywhere  exj^osed  to  execrable  abuse. 

All  this,  however,  did  not  prevent  the  two  friends 
from  holding  a  meeting  for  worship  and  instruction 
every  evening,  nor  from  interviews  with  the  peoj^le  dur- 
ing the  day.  Exhausted  by  the  constant  excitement  and 
labor,  and  by  the  hot  wind  that  blew,  the  missionary 
friends  were  compelled  to  seek  a  little  relaxation. 
About  midnight  they  set  off  toward  Mt.  Hermon. 
After  riding  eighteen  hours  almost  continuously  they 
came  to  the  village  of  Jibbata.  Here  they  were  startled 
by  a  messenger,  post-haste  from  Hasbeiya,  bringing  a 
hurried  note  from  Shaheen,  leader  of  the  Protestants, 
imploring  them  to  return  immediately,  "  wherever  they 
might  be  overtaken,  by  day  or  by  night."  The  noto- 
rious "  Society  "  had  risen  in  arms,  and  sent  Shaheen  a 
written  order  to  leave  the  town  by  three  o'clock  the 
same  day,  ^^  on  'penalty  of  deathj'  It  was  now  just  mid- 
night. Mr.  Thomson  mounted  his  horse  at  once,  leaving 
his  company  behind,  and,  riding  hard,  entered  Hasbeiya 
alone  about  nine  o'clock  in  "the  morning.  The  town 
seemed  deserted.  The  shops  were  shut,  and  neither 
friend  nor  foe  was  seen  in  the  streets.  The  Protestants 
had  all  fled,  and  the  "  Society,"  having  accomplished  all 


364  BIBLE    WORK    IX    BIBLE    LANDS. 

they  wislied  at  liorae,  had  gone  off  on  a  foray  against 
some  neighboring  Bedawin. 

AVhen  Tannoos  arrived  they  both  went  to  the  palace 
of  the  emeer,  wliere  they  found  a  large  assembhige  of 
enieers  and  elders  of  the  town.  The  chief  emeer  re- 
lated a  history  of  the  material  events  which  had  taken 
place  daring  the  last  thirty  hours,  from  which  it  ap- 
peared that  the  whole  power  of  the  town  was  In  the 
hands  of  those  armed  '^  young  men,"  and  that  the 
emeer  himself  had  signed  a  paper  making  himself  their 
tool.  He  begged  Mr.  Thomson  to  use  his  influence  to 
bring  about  some  amicable  arrangement.  Mr.  Thom- 
son made  no  engagement,  assured  them  all  that  the  de- 
parture of  Shaheen  and  his  friends  was  without  his 
advice  or  knowledge;  that  he  had  come  to  Hasbelya  as  a 
spiritual  Instructor  simply ;  that  as  his  friends  had  now 
been  driven  away  he  should  go  with  them,  and  that  if 
they  should  return,  and  again  request  him  to  come  to 
them  on  the  same  errand,  he  should  undoubtedly  do  so. 
They  all  said  that  he  should  be  most  welcome. 

For  three  nights  Mr.  Thomson  had  been  without 
sleep,  and  after  another  wearisome  day  his  fourth  night 
commenced  with  his  being  thronged  by  anxious  wives 
and  mothers  giving  him  messages  to  their  sons  and 
husbands,  and  charging  him  to  protect  them  from  Injury. 
It  was  surprising  and  affecting  to  see  what  anxiety  they 
evidently  felt  for  their  friends,  while  they  expressed 
none  for  themselves,  although  left  In  the  midst  of  their 
enemies,  and  some  of  them  so  poor  as  not  to  know  how 
or  where  they  should  find  their  dally  bread. 

"At  eleven  o'clock/'  says  Mr.  Thomson,  "we  bade 
them  farewell  with  many  prayers  and  tears,  and  set  for- 
ward to  join  Shaheen  and  his  company.    I  had  received 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  365 

a  letter  from  tliem  in  the  evening,  informing  me  wlicre 
I  should  find  them,  and  begging  me  to  come  to  them 
immediately.  I  reached  the  camp  at  daybreak,  threw 
myself  on  the  ground  and  slept  until  sunrise,  not  having 
closed  my  eyes  for  the  best  part  of  four  nights,  three  of 
which  had  been  spent  in  riding  or  hard  work. 

"  I  found  the  poor  people  on  the  open  mountain  with- 
out tent  or  bed  or  covering  of  any  kind,  half  perished 
with  cold,  and  very  hungry.  I  had  directed  my  servant 
to  purchase  what  bread  he  could  carry  with  him.  This 
they  devoured  like  locusts.  We  then  set  forward  toward 
Abeih,  but  our  progress  w^as  slow.  The  heat  of  the 
day  was  equal  to  the  cold  of  the  night,  and  some  of  the 
company  climbed  to  the  top  of  Lebanon  with  great 
difficulty.  We  reached  Mokhtara  after  dark.  We  were 
nobly  entertained  by  Sheikh  Seid  Jemblaut  (son  of  the 
old  sheikh).  He  made  a  feast  for  the  whole  company, 
and  expressed  the  liveliest  interest  in  their  cause.  I  had 
been  of  some  service  to  this  young  sheikh,  in  making  his 
peace  with  the  government  after  the  last  Druze  war,  and 
now  that  he  is  restored  to  his  home  and  his  authority 
his  generous  gratitude  knows  no  bounds.  The  next  day 
I  divided  the  company  into  two  parties,  and  sent  one  to 
Mr.  Whiting  at  Aintab,  and  took  the  other  with  me  to 
Abeih.  They  will  remain  with  us  a  few  days  until  some 
satisfactory  arrangement  can  be  made  for  their  return.^' 

The  whole  company  was  soon  assembled  at  Abeih, 
and  continued  there  many  weeks  listening  attentively 
to  religious  instruction.  When  the  way  seemed  open 
for  their  return,  Bootrus  el  Bistani,  a  native  assistant, 
went  with  them  to  their  homes.  On  their  way  they  met 
a  company  of  three  hundred  Hasbeiyans  going  for  some 
purpose  to  Beirut.    They  saluted  the  party,  but  received 

31  * 


366  BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

in  return  only  revilings  and  threats.  It  was  no  good 
omen,  but  they  kept  on,  thankful  that  they  had  escaped 
without  suffering  any  violence.  They  found  their 
friends  in  Hasbeiya  still  in  great  fear,  but  they  ventured, 
notwithstanding,  to  have  a  meeting  for  public  worship 
on  the  Sabbath,  and  about  forty  of  them  attended. 

In  a  few  days  the  patriarch  made  his  appearance  from 
Damascus.  He  came  to  try  what  his  personal  presence 
might  effect.  Of  course,  his  coming  increased  the  gen- 
eral irritation  against  them,  and  they  sent  word  to  the 
missionaries  advising  them  not  to  visit  them  during  the 
present  excitement  among  their  enemies,  lest,  if  any 
disorders  should  occur,  the  missionaries  should  be  ac- 
cused as  the  cause.  The  party  of  three  hundred,  who 
were  met  on  their  way  to  Beirut,  returned,  and,  after 
holding  a  council  outside  of  the  town  with  men  from 
other  villages,  entered  Hasbeiya  with  jubilant  demon- 
strations, shouting,  firing  guns  and  chanting  songs  of 
vengeance  against  the  Protestants.  In  this  manner  they 
went  directly  to  the  patriarch.  They  brought  news  that 
all  the  American  missionaries  had  been  banished  from 
Constantinople,  Smyrna  and  Greece,  and  that  some  had 
been  stoned  and  murdered  even  with  the  connivance  of 
the  government.  The  patriarch  sent  to  Damascus  de- 
manding of  the  pasha  that  the  Emeer  Khaleel,  who  had 
favored  the  Protestants,  should  be  removed  from  the 
governorship  of  Hasbeiya,  assuring  him  that  if  it  was 
not  done  there  would  follow  an  insurrection  in  the 
province.  The  emeer  was  intimidated,  and  feared  to 
punish  anybody. 

One  Sabbath  as  our  native  brother,  Eleeas  Fuaz,  who 
had  come  to  aid  them  in  their  meetings,  was  going  to  the 
place  of  worship  with  three  others,  the  men,  women  and 


BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  367 

children  joined  in  mocking,  cursing  and  stoning  them ; 
the  place  of  worship  was  surrounded  and  the  services 
prevented.  The  enieer  was  informed  of  this,  but  he 
talked  loud  and  did  nothing.  ^'  After  this,''  Eleeas 
writes,  "  I  am  distressed  on  account  of  the  unquiet  state 
of  our  friends  here ;  they  are  shut  up  in  their  houses 
and  dare  not  go  out.  They  cannot  move  from  one  place 
to  another  without  being  abused,  cursed  and  stoned,  and 
sometimes  threatened  with  death.'' 

Four  or  five  days  after,  he  writes :  "  I  set  out  to  go 
to  our  worship  this  morning,  avoiding  the  road  that 
passes  by  the  Greek  church  for  fear  of  another  disturb- 
ance. I  was  met  by  a  company  of  boys,  who  imme- 
diately surrounded  me  on  all  sides  and  began  to  stone 
me.  The  stones  seemed  to  fall  on  me  like  rain,  on  my 
back  and  legs  and  head.  One  struck  me  below  the  eye, 
and  with  such  force  that  it  seemed  as  if  my  head  had 
flown  off  my  shoulders.  I  was  struck  almost  senseless, 
so  as  not  to  know  where  I  was,  while  the  blood  was 
flowing  in  a  stream  down  my  face.  Leading  men  in 
the  Greek  community,  and  among  them  Girgis  er  Rey-is, 
Shaheen  Da-oon  and  others,  were  standing  in  the  bishop's 
yard  looking  on  and  laughing.  Eleeas  once  more  carried 
his  complaint  to  the  prince,  all  bloody  as  he  was,  but 
the  most  the  prince  dared  do  for  him  was  to  send  one 
of  his  soldiers  to  see  that  he  should  not  be  set  upon  by 
the  Greeks  on  his  way  to  his  house.  But  the  house 
itself,  when  they  came  to  it,  was  found  to  be  surrounded 
by  a  company  of  young  men  and  boys  who  were  trying 
to  break  open  the  door,  and  who  continued  to  occupy 
their  place  several  hours,  reviling,  throwing  stones  and 
calling  upon  Eleeas  to  produce  certain  Protestants  whose 
blood  they  "  wished  to  drink."     They  cursed  the  relig- 


368  BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS. 

ion  of  the  English,  called  them  water-dogs,  and  vowed 
to  burn  their  religion  out  of  their  town  though  it  should 
cost  them  thirty  lives  to  accomplish  it.  With  all  the 
cursing  and  bitterness  and  bloody  threats  of  these  men, 
it  does  not  appear  that  any  man^s  life  was  directly  taken 
by  them,  but  the  means  of  annoyance  they  used  were  so 
many,  and  so  long  continued,  that  eventually  most  of 
the  Protestants  made  some  compromise  with  their  ene- 
mies and  obtained  leave  for  the  present  to  dwell  in 
quiet. 

How  much  of  this  violent  crushing  down  of  the 
rights  of  conscience  was  owing  to  foreign  intervention 
we  may  never  certainly  know,  but  there  chanced  to  come 
to  light,  just  at  this  time,  the  following  significant  diplo- 
matic document,  addressed  by  his  Excellency  the  Rus- 
sian Consul  General  to  his  Highness  the  Pasha  of 
Damascus :  "  However  I  may  desire  to  address  your 
Highness  on  the  subject  [of  the  defections  in  Hasbeiya] 
in  a  friendly  manner,  I  must  remind  you  that  I  am  a 
servant  of  the  magnificent  Emperor  of  Russia,  and  that 
we  have  the  right  of  protecting  the  Greek  Church  in 
the  Ottoman  dominions.  I  should  greatly  regret  it  if 
I  were  compelled  to  change  my  language,  and  protest 
against  every  proceeding  which  may  lead  to  the  humil- 
iation of  the  Greek  church  at  Hasbeiya,  and  to  the 
encouragement  of  the  pretended  Protestants,  especially 
as  the  Sublime  Porte  does  not  recognize  among  her  sub- 
jects any  such  community.'^ 

Did  it  comport  with  the  dignity  of  a  Russian  Consul 
General  to  argue  that  because  the  Church  of  England, 
i.  e.,  the  Protestants,  had  never  been  formally  recognized 
by  the  Turkish  government,  therefore  the  Russian 
Church  had  a  higher  claim  to  protection  than  the  Eng- 


BIBLE    WOKK   IN    BIBLE   LANDS.  369 

llsli  ?  Eussia  may  claim  a  right  to  lord  it  over  the 
consciences  of  her  oivn  subjects,  and  confine  them  by  law 
Avithin  the  pale  of  the  Greek  Church,  but  that  she  should 
claim  such  a  right  in  Turkey  is  assuming  a  good  deal 
for  the  nineteenth  century. 

Notwithstanding  the  conformity  of  the  evangelical 
party,  in  some  respects,  to  their  former  church,  there 
were  not  wanting  some  among  them  who  continued  to 
declare  that  their  conformity  was  a  union  "  under  pro- 
test,'^ and  that  they  never  could  consent  to  remain  in 
that  false  position.  They  kept  up  a  continued  corre- 
spondence with  the  missionaries,  and  when  the  storms 
of  war  and  persecution  had  somewhat  subsided  they 
renewed  their  calls  for  help.  A  native  assistant  wns 
afforded  them,  but  they  earnestly  desired  a  fully  educated 
minister  of  the  gospel.  Accordingly,  the  Kev.  Simeon 
H.  Calhoun,  who  had  not  been  long  in  Syria,  went  to 
them,  accompanied  by  our  able  preacher,  Tannoos  el 
Haddad.  They  began  with  an  audience  of  thirty  hearers, 
and  this  number  seems  to  have  continued  pretty  regu- 
larly. On  the  eighteenth  and  last  day  of  their  visit 
Tannoos  discoursed  to  them  with  unusual  ability  and 
effect.  The  little  audience  was  melted  into  tears,  some 
of  them  sobbing  aloud. 

They  continued  in  comparative  quietness  for  some 
months,  having  visits  from  the  missionaries  and  their 
native  helpers,  till  the  governor,  Saad  ed  Deen,  was 
called  by  the  pasha  to  render  an  account  of  his  gov- 
ernment for  the  past  three  years.  It  was  probably  a 
Russo-Turkish  examination,  particularly  as  to  the  causes 
of  the  failure  of  the  measures  against  the  new  English 
(Protestant)  church  attempted  to  be  set  up  in  Hasbeiya. 
He  could  not  show  a  clean  record.     He  must  be  kept 


370  BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS. 

in  durance  for  failure  in  the  duty  which  he  owed  to  the 
"magnificent  Emperor  of  Russia,"  of  whose  right  to  rule 
over  him  he  had  never  before  heard.  He  could  be  re- 
leased only  when  those  "  pretended  Protestants ''  should 
be  "  burnt  out." 

Letters  came  from  the  emeer  of  a  very  threatening 
character.  A  council  was  held  in  the  palace  of  the  act- 
ing governor,  where  some  proposed  to  crush  at  once  the 
heretical  intruders.  But  to  this  the  Emeer  Ahmed, 
eldest  son  of  the  Saad  ed  Deen,  flatly  opposed  himself. 
He  boldly  declared  that  if  anything  more  of  that  kind 
was  attempted  he  would  defend  the  Protestants  with  all 
his  might,  even  to  becoming  a  Protestant  himself.  They 
could  not  agree,  and  the  council  broke  up.  A  second 
one  was  held,  at  which  one  of  the  speakers  was  Shaheen 
Da-oon,  who,  with  Girgis  er  Rey-is,  stood  among  the 
rest  in  the  bishop's  yard  and  laughed  at  the  pelting  of 
our  Eleeas  Fuaz.  This  man  now  stood  forth  more  bold 
than  Gamaliel  and  said, 

"  Why  should  we  persecute  these  people  ?  Why  ex- 
communicate them?  Why  not  have  dealings  with  them? 
Are  they  not  Christians  as  well  as  we?  Yes,  and  better 
Christians,  too,  than  we.  They  do  not  lie,  nor  curse, 
nor  drink,  nor  swear.  Look  at  Nicola  Haslab  and 
Khaleel  el  Khoori ;  what  were  they  once,  and  what  are 
they  now  ?  You  had  better  go  and  do  like  them.  As 
for  me,  I'll  have  nothing  to  do  with  this  business.  I've 
troubled  the  people  of  God  long  enough,  and  if  all  my 
five  sons  were  to  become  Protestants  now,  I  would  not 
oppose  them." 

One  of  the  sons  of  this  man  Da-oon  was  already  an 
open  defender  of  the  Protestants  and  of  their  doctrines. 
This  council  ended  like  the  other.     But  the  pressure 


IIASliEIYA. 
A.  The  Protestant  Church  erected  in  1854,    B.  The  Greek  Chnrch. 

Sheikh. 


D.  Palace  of  the  Dnazo 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  373 

was  continued  increasingly  at  Damascus,  and  the  emeer 
wrote  the  most  earnest  letters,  till  the  governor  finally 
sent  orders  to  the  Protestants  that  they  must  positively 
conform  to  the  Greek  Church  and  attend  that  form  of 
worship.     They  still  refused  and  remonstrated,  saying, 

"Will  your  Excellency  indeed  compel  us  to  violate 
our  consciences,  to  do  what  is  contrary  to  the  holy  Scrip- 
tures, to  bow  down  before  pictures,  pray  to  dead  saints, 
and  such  things  ?  Send  us  away  to  Damascus,  send  us 
to  the  galleys,  cut  off  our  heads,  but  do  not  send  us  to 
the  Greek  Church." 

The  governor  replied,  "  You  need  do  nothing  wrong, 
nothing  against  your  consciences.  You  have  only  to  go 
to  the  church  and  stand  there  and  hear  the  priest  read 
the  prayers.  This  you  7nust  do,  voluntarily  or  involunta- 
rily." 

"  Voluntarily,  never !"  said  they.  "  Let  all  here  pres- 
ent bear  witness  if  your  Excellency  send  us  to  the  church 
it  will  be  hy  force,  but  willingly  we  will  not  go.'' 

The  governor  then  called  the  priests,  and  called  also  a 
guard,  and  all  were  marched  off  together  to  the  church ; 
but  the  priests  refused,  in  these  farcical  circumstances,  to 
go  through  with  the  usual  ceremonies,  and  the  company 
separated  and  went  to  their  homes.  This  manoeuvre 
was  repeated  but  twice,  and  they  became  sick  of  it ;  but 
though  this  kind  of  worship  was  too  ridiculous  to  be 
continued,  all  were  strictly  forbidden  by  the  government 
to  assemble  with  the  missionaries,  and  by  special  desire 
of  the  governor  the  missionaries  temporarily  left  the 
place. 

The  Emeer  Saad  ed  Deen  returned  to  his  post  breath- 
ing out  threatenings  and  slaughter  against  the  new  dis- 
ciples, declaring  he  would  rid  the  place  of  them  if  he 

32 


374  BIBLE   WORK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

had  even  to  take  their  lives.  He  forged  a  bond  against 
one  of  the  leaders  for  the  sum  of  eight  hundred  dollars, 
and  put  him  into  prison  till  he  should  pay  the  debt. 
The  Prussian  consul  unofficially  interposed  his  kind 
offices  for  the  prisoner,  and  the  latter,  after  paying  forty 
dollars  of  the  eight  hundred,  was  set  at  liberty.  The 
prince  would  have  taken  the  same  course  with  another 
man  of  property  among  them,  but  was  prevented  by  the 
remonstrances  of  his  two  sons. 

For  many  months  this  'Svild  boar  of  Hermon,"  as  he 
was  fitly  called  by  Mr.  Thomson,  continued  to  waste  the 
tender  vine  of  Hasbeiya  until  after  the  imperial  firman 
of  November,  1847,  securing  the  rights  of  Protestants, 
was  published,  when  he  sent  to  invite  all  those  scattered 
men  to  return  to  their  homes  and  pursue  their  occupa- 
tions in  peace. 

But  the  Christian  patriarch  was  not  so  ready  to  yield 
obedience  to  the  powers  that  be  as  was  the  Mohamme- 
dan prince.  He  must  try  one  expedient  more.  He 
first  secures  in  some  way  the  neutrality  of  the  prince, 
and  then  issues  a  sweeping  decree  of  excommunication 
against  all  the  heretical  English,  and  all  that  aid,  abet 
or  assist  them  in  any  way.  The  chief  Christian  popu- 
lation being  of  the  Greek  Church,  it  was  easy  for  them 
to  shun  the  excluded  ones  themselves,  and  to  make  it  to 
consist  with  the  interest  of  the  Druzes  and  Muslims  to 
shun  them  also. 

Thus  cut  off  from  favor  and  sympathy  with  almost  all 
their  fellow-citizens,  and  obtaining  no  redress  from  the 
prince,  they  were  soon  reduced  to  an  extreme  of  distress. 
But  the  Lord,  in  whom  they  trusted,  would  not  give 
them  up  to  despair.  He  gradually  softened  the  hearts 
of  the  Druzes  and  Muslims,  and  even  some  of  the  Chris- 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  375 

tians,  who  began  in  secret,  and  then  more  and  more 
openly,  to  relieve  their  necessities,  so  that  finally  the  net 
was  broken  and  the  fishes  escaped.  One  fish  was  all 
that  the  patriarch  and  his  hirelings  had  caught  after  so 
much  toil.     Not  much  of  a  draught  for  so  much  outlay! 

For  a  term  of  almost  two  years  these  tried  believers 
had  been  alone  buffeting  the  floods  of  ungodly  men. 
Their  enemies  had  used  every  promising  expedient,  and 
had  failed.  The  prospect  of  a  long  season  of  repose  was 
now  brighter  than  ever  it  had  been.  The  prevailing 
cholera  had  disappeared,  and  the  missionaries  were  con- 
strained to  make  another  visit  to  them  and  inquire  into 
their  state,  especially  as  it  was  commonly  reported  that 
there  were  divisions  among  them.  Mr.  Whiting  and 
Tannoos  el  Haddad,  men  eminently  pacific  in  their  dis- 
positions, were  sent  to  them  to  unite  and  comfort  their 
hearts.  They  found  them  living  in  quietness  with  all 
around  them.  Most  of  the  neighbors  conversed  freely 
and  had  business  dealings  freely  with  them.  One  im- 
portant object,  for  which  they  had  been  laboring  for 
years  past  against  the  opposition  of  governors  and  priests, 
they  had  at  length  obtained — it  was  a  cemetery  already 
set  apart  and  fenced ;  and  it  was  thought  a  remarkable 
providence  that  in  these  four  years  during  which  they 
had  been  held  as  schismatics  and  heretics,  though  they 
had  had  no  cemetery,  they  had  also  had  no  need  of  one, 
for  during  this  whole  space  of  time  not  one  of  their  com- 
pany and  no  member  of  their  families  had  died. 

On  the  fifth  of  July,  at  Hasbeiya,  a  sermon  was 
preached  and  a  church  of  sixteen  members  organized. 
The  next  day  being  the  Sabbath,  after  a  discourse  by 
John  Wortabet,  and  after  the  admission  of  another 
member  to  the  church,  the  Lord's  Supper  was  adminis- 


376  BIBI.E    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

tered.  All  these  exercises  were  calculated  to  make  a 
strong  impression,  and  at  the  close  the  native  brethren, 
inspired  by  one  common  feeling  of  Christian  affection, 
began  to  embrace  and  salute  each  other  "with  a  holy 
kiss,"  according  to  the  Oriental  method,  breathing  all 
the  while  some  short  prayer  or  hearty  thanksgiving. 
Good  Deacon  Tannoos,  with  glistening  eyes,  repeated 
aloud  the  words  of  the  devout  old  saint,  "  Lord,  now 
lettest  thou  thy  servant  depart  in  peace."  "  This  mani- 
festation of  fraternal  love,"  says  Mr.  Thomson,  "  was  so 
sudden,  spontaneous  and  natural  as  to  be  very  affecting 
and  delightful.  We  who  had  known  this  people  from 
their  first  steps  toward  evangelical  religion  could 
hardly  recognize  in  these  humble,  devout  and  spiritual 
worshipers  the  rude,  noisy,  ignorant  and  worldly  com- 
pany that  then  caused  us  so  much  trouble."  The  sight 
must  have  abundantly  rewarded  this  unwearied  laborer 
for  those  exposures,  those  tiresome  journeys  and  those 
successive  sleepless  nights  through  which  he  had  for- 
merly passed  in  looking  after  these  sheep  scattered  and 
driven  about  among  the  mountains. 

With  the  approbation  of  all  concerned,  young  AYor- 
tabet  was  to  remain  to  lead  their  meetings  and  minister 
to  them  the  word.  He  was  not  only  an  acceptable  and 
instructive  preacher,  but  was  considerably  experienced 
also  as  a  physician. 

The  early  mission-schools  in  Hasbeiya,  Deir  Memass, 
Gedeideh  and  Rasheiya  (Rasheiyet  el  Fkhar),  had  some 
little  influence  in  introducing  the  Protestant  name  into 
this  district  of  country.  In  the  last  of  the  above-men- 
tioned villages  the  teacher's  name  was  Yacob,  whose 
son,  Eleeas,  came,  from  time  to  time,  to  Beirut  to  receive 
his  father's  wages.     He  was  a  pupil  in  the  school,  and 


BIBLE   WORK    IX    BIBLE   LANDS.  377 

tliere  learned  to  read  the  Psalter  and  the  New  Testament 
as  schoolbooks.  He  grew  up,  however,  a  heedless  youth, 
and  became  a  juggler,  a  sleight-of-hand  trickster,  and 
given  to  much  wine.  But  it  appears  that  his  early  impres- 
sions, received  from  the  word  of  God  in  the  school,  had 
taken  firm  hold  upon  him  and  would  not  let  him  go  till 
they  brought  him  home  to  the  fold  of  the  great  She])herd. 
This  is  that  Eleeas  Yacob  (or  son  of  Yacob)  mentioned 
by  Mr.  Whiting  in  his  late  visit  to  this  neighborhood, 
and  who  united  w^ith  the  church  of  Beirut  in  1843. 
"  To  this  man's  influence,'^  Mr.  Thomson  says,  "  may  be 
traced  the  first  enlightening  of  Tannoos  Kerm  of  Safed  " 
(a  native  assistant  of  Mr.  Whiting  at  Jerusalem  w'ho 
lost  his  family  in  the  earthquake  at  Safed,  and  is  now 
connected  with  the  Jewish  missionaries  at  that  place). 
"  Eleeas  has  also  a  discij^le  named  Dawhir  Ab-bood,  in 
el  Kheiam,  and  Dawhir  also  has  a  disciple  in  one  of  his 
neighbors,  and  so  the  leaven  is  spreading.  These  two 
men,  Yacob  and  Dawhir,  have  a  knowledge  of  scripture 
which  is  remarkable,  and,  being  naturally  shrewd  men, 
they  have  a  poAver  of  argument  which  their  adversaries 
cannot  gainsay  or  resist.  They  are  both  physicians,  and 
are  in  the  habit  of  making  long  tours  through  Houran 
and  the  parts  east  of  Jordan  as  far  south  as  Kerek,  and 
to  those  parts  they  have  already  gone,  and  will  continue 
to  go,  preaching  the  gospel  of  the  kingdom.  The  results 
of  that  school  are  known  only  to  Him  who  chooses  the 
weak  things  of  the  world  to  confound  the  things  that 
are  mighty. '^ 

A  few  months  more,  and  Mr.  Thomson  made  another 
visit  to  this  little  community,  and  on  the  first  evening 
after  his  arrival  listened,  with  a  hundred  others,  to  an 
excellent   sermon    by    the   young    j^i'^^^her,    Wortabet. 

32^^ 


378  BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

Most  of  those  who  attended  were  young  men  in  the 
prime  of  life.  The  two  preachers  had  discoursed  every 
night  to  large  audiences.  The  whole  town  was  moved. 
Wherever  they  went  religion  was  all  the  talk.  All  was 
perfect  peace.  The  old  emeer  had  become  decidedly 
favorable,  and  no  one  presumed  to  move  his  tongue 
against  the  work.  The  various  emeers,  Druze  sheikhs 
and  elders  of  the  town  made  their  friendly  calls.  All 
the  leading  men  who  so  vehemently  opposed  the  mis- 
sionaries at  the  beginning  now  sought  their  acquaint- 
ance and  friendship.  The  ruling  emeer  let  a  man  out 
of  prison  and  sent  him  to  Mr.  Thomson,  because  the 
man  pretended  that  he  was  a  Protestant ;  and  this  was 
the  same  emeer  who  had  sworn  to  exterminate  the  Prot- 
estants from  all  Hermon,  and  had  labored  for  years  to 
fulfill  his  oath ! 

One  day  Mr.  Thomson  and  two  deacons  went  up  the 
side  of  Mt.  Hermon  to  a  solitary  lodge  where  lived  a 
poor  man,  a  vine-dresser,  and  known  as  an  humble  appli- 
cant for  admission  to  the  Protestant  communion.  They 
had  a  joyful  reception,  and  all  three  squeezed  in  to  the 
lodge,  finding  space  just  sufficient  to  contain  the  four. 
For  a  bed  there  was  a  single  quilt  and  pillow.  On  the 
latter  lay  the  Arabic  Bible,  '^  Prayers  for  every  Day  in  the 
Week,''  Thomas  A.  Kempis  and  Dr.  Smith's  work  on 
the  Spirit,  all  of  them  well  worn  by  use.  They  discussed 
the  whole  history  of  redemption.  At  the  close  they 
knelt  in  prayer.  Says  Mr.  Thomson,  ^'  It  was  good  to 
be  there  on  that  mountain  side,  in  that  lodge  beneath 
that  olive,  among  those  clustering  vines,  with  that  old 
man  of  humble  mien  and  tearful  eye,  the  voice  of  prayer 
ascending  from  full  hearts  to  the  canopy  of  heaven  above 
our  heads.     Yes,  it  was  good  to  be  there.     I  crept  forth 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS.  379 

from  this  luimble  lodge  with  eyes  bedimmed  with  tears. 
In  the  afternoon,"  continues  Mr.  Thomson,  "as  the  ohl 
man  was  coming  to  our  preparatory  lecture,  I  met  him 
upon  the  stairs.  Seizing  my  hand,  he  said,  '  Ever  since 
you  left  me  this  morning  I  have  been  looking  up  into 
heaven,  and  I  see  nothing  there  but  Christ,'  and  gazing 
up  into  the  clear  blue  sky,  with  a  voice  so  earnest  that  it 
almost  frightened  me,  he  repeated,  'I  see  nothing  in 
heaven  hut  Christy  I  see  nothing  in  heaven  but  Christ.^ '' 

The  next  day  (Sabbath)  a  sermon  was  preached,  new 
members  were  admitted  and  the  Lord's  Supper  was  cele- 
brated. Long  before  the  time,  the  house  was  crowded 
with  people,  and  those  outside  pressed  together  at  the 
windows  to  listen.  Three  hours  were  spent  in  that 
meeting.  No  one  moved  from  his  place.  All  were 
silent  and  solemn.  They  listened  as  for  their  lives  to 
the  very  last  word,  and  many  eyes  unused  to  weep 
were  bathed  in  tears.  The  number  present  was  sup- 
posed to  be  about  one  hundred  and  eighty. 

The  following  day  Mr.  Thomson  went  to  Rasheiya, 
the  village  of  Eleeas  Yacob.  Here  he  had  a  room  full 
of  people  to  whom  he  preached  the  word.  About  a 
dozen  men  here  called  themselves  Protestants,  and  many 
more  were  examining  and  discussing  the  great  question. 
Few  men  in  the  village  could  read,  and  Eleeas,  having 
been  taught  formerly  for  a  while  at  the  mission  semi- 
nary, was  so  far  beyond  the  rest  in  respect  to  education 
that  he  was  able  to  conduct  worship  very  acceptably. 
By  request  the  missionary  visited  the  next  day  a  family 
at  Hasbeiya,  and  spent  an  hour  in  conversing  with  an 
old  man  and  his  four  sons  about  the  gospel.  This  was 
the  house  of  entertainment  for  the  Greek  patriarch 
when,  five  years  ago,  he  came  to  Hasbeiya  to  annihilate 


380  BIBLE   WORK    IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

the  Protestants,  and  this  man  was  his  right  arm  in  the 
work  of  persecution.  Now  both  he  and  his  sons  were 
declared  Protestants.  One  evening  the  head  man  of 
the  Maronites  was  present  at  the  preaching,  and  his  son 
was  believed  to  be  a  sincere  convert.  Druzes  were  be- 
ginning to  inquire  what  these  things  meant,  and  in  the 
surrounding  villages  the  truth  seemed  to  be  stirring  up 
the  people.  Mr.  Thomson  was,  on  this  account,  looking 
for  another  storm  to  break  out  from  some  quarter,  nor 
were  his  fears  groundless. 

Mr.  Thomson  next  rode  to  Ibel  and  spent  a  few  hours 
with  Eleeas  Yacob,  and  next  to  el  Kheiam,  two  miles 
farther  southward,  where  lived  Dawhir,  Eleeas  Yacob's 
disciple.  His  whole  soul  was  engaged  in  the  subject  of 
religion,  into  which  he  threw  his  accustomed  energy  and 
fearlessness.  They  had  worship  together,  and  afterward 
the  leading  men  of  the  village  assembled  with  them, 
and  conversed  about  religion  till  late  at  night.  About 
this  time  thirty  new  names  were  added  to  the  number 
of  Protestants  in  Hasbeiya,  and  forty-five  persons  at 
Ibel  had  petitioned  the  government  to  be  enrolled  with 
that  community. 

Such  were  the  religious  prospects  of  Hasbeiya  and 
vicinity  near  the  close  of  the  year  1851,  when  there 
came  over  the  whole  region  a  new  tempest  of  persecu- 
tion, anarchy  and  war.  Wortabet,  however,  maintained 
his  stand  firmly  and  reputably,  and  was  ordained  over 
the  people  as  their  regular  pastor.  Under  his  ministra- 
tion the  Protestant  community  became  more  compact, 
orderly  and  efficient.  At  their  own  charges  they  built 
themselves  a  house  of  worship,  and  when  they  heard  of 
the  opening  of  China  for  the  word  of  God,  and  the  re- 
solve of  English  Christians  to  send  to  that  heathen  land 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  381 

a  million  New  Testaments,  tlicy  threw  in  their  share,  of 
about  thirty  dollars,  for  tlie  same  object. 

Eleeas  Yacob  made  two  successful  tours  to  the  east 
and  south,  in  company  with  a  native  Protestant  friend, 
preaching  sometimes  in  the  native  churches,  and  gaining 
the  assent  of  whole  villages  at  once  to  enroll  themselves 
as  Protestants.  In  this  work  Eleeas  supported  himself 
entirely  by  his  own  medical  practice. 

The  Kev.  W.  W.  Eddy,  who  had  been  stationed  at 
Sidon,  visited  Hasbeiya  in  1857,  and  also  the  village  of 
Kheiam,  where  he  spent  a  Sabbath  and  had  an  audience 
from  five  different  villages,  who  showed  great  earnest- 
ness in  inquiring  after  the  truth.  In  a  letter  of  still 
later  date,  Mr.  Eddy  speaks,  with  peculiar  gratification, 
of  some  very  earnest  Protestants  in  Deir  Memas.  They 
liad  endured  for  many  months  a  cruel  course  of  persecu- 
tion from  the  Greeks  and  from  the  Mohammedan  gov- 
ernment of  the  district,  but,  under  all  this,  had  been 
continually  increasing  in  numbers.  Mr.  Eddy  was 
with  them  several  days,  and  was  astonished  and  de- 
lighted to  find  gathered  together  each  evening,  after 
the  severe  labors  of  the  day  in  harvesting,  an  audience 
of  above  a  hundred  souls,  all  eager,  attentive  and  se- 
rious. The  number  of  full-grown  men  professing  Prot- 
estantism was  above  sixty,  and  though  only  a  part  of 
the  women  of  their  families  had  openly  joined  them, 
counting  these  and  their  children,  the  community  num- 
bered fully  one  hundred  and  twenty  souls,  the  largest 
professed  Protestant  community  at  that  time  in  Syria. 


CHAPTEE    XVIII. 

New  flames  of  war  in  1845 — Drnzes  prevail — Maronite  princes  driven 
from  Abeih — Greeks  killed  at  Hasbeiya — Death  of  the  patriarch — ■ 
New  election  ends  in  quarrel  and  sacking  of  Canobeen — Greek 
patriarch  in  trouble  at  Beirut — Meshaka  and  his  patriarch  in 
discussion — Messrs.  Wilson  and  Foote  at  Tripoli — Yanni— Messrs. 
Wilson  and  Foote  driven  from  Eh-heden — Yanni  unites  with  the 
church  at  Beirut — Abdallah  Zeidan — Is-hoc  el  Kefroony — Safeeta. 

THE  civil  war  of  1841  resulted,  as  has  been  seen, 
in  favor  of  the  Druzes.  The  Christian  princes  of 
the  Shehab  family,  of  whom  the  Emeer  Besheer  Shehab 
was  chief,  were  displaced,  and  on  the  ruins  of  the  She- 
hab dynasty  rose  the  power  of  the  Druze  feudal  sheikhs. 
The  Shehabs,  however,  were  still  somewhat  numerous, 
and  bore  their  degradation  with  impatience.  The  Mar- 
onite sect  were  exasperated  by  their  late  defeat,  by  the 
plunder  of  their  pro[)erty  and  the  burning  of  their 
homes,  and  having  been  deluded  for  some  years  by 
vain  promises  of  remuneration,  the  people  were  more 
than  ready  to  unite  with  these  fallen  princes  in  avenging 
themselves  on  their  Druze  enemies.  The  Maronite 
clergy  also,  whose  authority  had  been  greatly  reduced 
by  the  late  conflict,  were  by  no  means  reluctant  to  see 
the  question  of  power  again  submitted  to  the  arbitra- 
ment of  war. 

In  such  a  state  of  feeling  the  flame  was  easily  kindled. 
Kobberies  and  murders  became  frequent,  and  the  Maron- 
ites  did  not  refrain  from  open  threats  of  a  second  appeal 
to  arms.     The  collision  came.     After  a  skirmish  on  the 


BIBLE   WORK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS.  383 

30th  of  April,  1845,  below  the  village  of  Abeih,  the 
Druzes  descended  in  force  upon  Hadet,  Ba-abda  and 
the  Wady,  as  it  is  called,  drove  the  inhabitants  to  Bei- 
rut, and  plundered  their  houses.  Baadran,  Meristeh, 
Ammatoor  and  Bathir,  places  near  el  Muktara,  with 
several  others  in  the  Shoof  district,  were  burned,  and 
after  ten  days  the  Maronites  had  all  been  driven  a 
second  time  out  of  the  Druze  portion  of  the  mountains, 
with  the  exception  of  Deir  el  Kommer  and  Abeih  and 
vicinity.  At-  the  latter  place  remained  some  of  the 
Shehab  emeers,  and  the  Druzes  insisted  that  they  should 
go  Avith  the  rest  of  their  tribe.  They  were  themselves 
willing  to  go,  but  their  people  in  the  village  would  not 
consent  to  it;  and  as  neither  party  would  accept  the 
terms,  an  attack  upon  Abeih  became  inevitable.  Sheikh 
Hamood,  with  his  body  of  Druzes,  was  in  the  immedi- 
ate neighborhood,  at  Kfer  Metta,  all  ready  for  an  as- 
sault. With  a  large  force  collected  from  the  neighboring 
villages,  he  commenced  the  attack  with  great  fury,  and 
so  continued  till,  through  the  intervention  of  Mr.  Thom- 
son with  a  flag  of  truce,  the  besieged  consented  to  a 
surrender.  The  Maronite  houses  of  the  village,  includ- 
ing  their  convent,  had  been  burned,  the  people  having 
fled  for  refuge  to  the  palaces  of  the  emeers.  The  chief 
monk  of  the  convent  was  killed,  as  was  also  the  Italian 
monk  of  the  Latin  convent,  who  had  been  sent  to  coun- 
teract the  influence  of  the  Protestant  school.  One  of 
the  two  palaces  had  been  captured,  and  all  who  were 
in  it  slain ;  the  other  contained  five  hundred  and  sev- 
enty-five survivors,  who  gave  themselves  up  and  were 
escorted  by  a  guard,  under  the  British  consul  general, 
to  Beirut. 

The  war  in  Lebanon  extended  its  influence  to  Has^ 


384  BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

beiya.  A  regular  battle  was  fought  there,  and  many- 
were  slain. 

The  storm  of  war,  however,  soon  spent .  itself,  and  in 
July  (1845)  the  missionaries  were  nearly  all  again  occu- 
I3ying  their  mountain  residences  at  Abeih,  Bhamdoon, 
Ainab  and  Bshamon.  At  the  last  place  Mr.  Laurie, 
lately  from  Mosul,  had  a  fine  congregation  to  address 
every  evening.  At  Ainab,  Mr.  Lanneau  found  the  peo- 
ple quite  ready  to  listen  to  the  gospel,  and  at  Abeih 
they  had  preaching  three  times  every  Sabbath  to  as  large 
congregations  as  before  the  war,  and  the  number  of 
Druze  hearers  had  increased.  Applications  for  schools 
from  surrounding  villages  were  frequent. 

The  vicissitudes  of  the  Lebanon  war,  which  had  been 
so  harmless  to  the  persons  of  the  missionaries j  proved  of 
a  very  different  character  to  their  arch  foe  at  Canobeen. 
Finding  himself  impotent  in  attempting  to  rule  by  spir- 
itual power,  he  grasped  after  the  temporal,  and  the  bub- 
ble burst  under  his  grasp.  In  the  former  of  the  late 
two  wars,  which  his  own  i3eople  accused  him  of  foment- 
ing, so  far  from  gaining  any  addition  to  his  power,  it  is 
said  that  he  even  fled  from  his  stronghold  in  the  moun- 
tain cliff  to  some  more  secret  hiding-place  lest  peradven- 
ture  he  should  be  found  and  taken  to  grace  the  proces- 
sion of  a  Druze  triumph.  Again,  in  the  second  struggle 
he  saw  his  people  scattered  and  peeled  as  perhaps  they 
had  never  been  before.  His  once  powerful  prince,  to 
whom  he  had  looked  to  back  up  his  measures,  was  gone 
from  his  country.  Turks  and  Druzes  now  ruled  over 
his  great  family.  His  sons  and  daughters,  setting  at 
naught  his  paternal  counsels,  which  he  had  so  kindly 
given  them  in  his  repeated  Manslioors,  w^ere  running 
madly  after  the  Bible  men,  reading  the  scriptures — which 


BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  385 

it  was  not  lawful  to  read  except  fc^r  the  priests  alone — 
and,  moreover,  using  their  own  ^^ private  judgment"  on 
what  they  read,  actually  trying  to  understand  it! 

He  came  to  the  patriarchal  throne  in  the  plenitude  of 
power.  The  prince  of  the  mountains  was  a  son  of  his 
own  church.  No  Christian  sect  in  Lebanon  claimed 
equality  with  his,  either  in  numbers,  wealth,  dignity  or 
influence.  He  doubtless  expected  that  his  term  of  ad- 
ministration would  be  one  of  ease  and  honor.  From 
this  high  elevation,  therefore,  his  fall  was  not  only  fatal 
to  his  peace,  but  also  fatal,  as  it  appears,  to  his  life.  He 
did  not  long  survive  this  last  defeat  of  his  people,  but 
died,  as  did  his  exiled  prince,  of  a  broken  heaii;. 

When  the  bishops  came  together  to  make  choice  of  a 
new  patriarch,  it  would  seem  that  "  Satan  came  also 
among  them."  The  election  was  decidedly  stormy. 
Two  rival  candidates  were  in  the  field,  presented  by  the 
two  extremes  of  the  Maronite  territory,  the  Gib-beh  and 
Kesru-an,  the  north  and  the  south.  They  met  at  a 
midway  place,  the  convent  of  Meifook,  near  Gebail. 
Two  ballotings  were  had,  and  no  choice.  Then  Bishop 
Boolus,  the  Gib-beh  candidate  (perhaps  without  the 
consent  of  his  party),  withdrew  his  name,  and  Bishop 
Yoosef  was  chosen.  Upon  this  the  Besherry  party  rose 
upon  the  new  patriarch  and  upon  his  bishops,  beat  them 
and  drove  them  homeward  to  Kesru-iln ;  then  they  turned 
back  upon  Canobeen  itself,  entered  it  and  plundered  it, 
and  this  notwithstanding  the  French  consul  was  there  to 
guard  it. 

This  violation  of  the  holy  capital  of  the  Maronite 
Church  by  the  hands  of  her  own  sons  was,  if  possible, 
more  sacrilegious  than  that  of  1832  by  the  armed 
force  in  search  of  the  martyr  Shidiak.     The  more  scru- 

S3 


386  BIBLE   WORK    IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

pulous  of  the  family  would  have  revolted  at  such  an  act 
lest  the  holy  father  from  the  vault  below,  where  they 
had  placed  him,  should  awake  and  hurl  upon  them  his 
curses  for  such  audacity.  But  these  were  the  Besherry 
boys  who  had  before  this  threatened  to  rescue  Assad 
from  his  dungeon,  who  had  dared  to  refuse  water  for 
the  patriarch's  gardens,  laughed  at  his  curses  and  cursed 
him  in  their  turn ;  and  now  they  were  determined  that 
if  another  patriarch  of  such  an  '^unclean  spirit"  was  to 
be  forced  upon  them,  he  should,  when  he  came  to  his 
house,  find  it  empty  at  least,  if  not  "swept  and  gar- 
nished." 

The  Greek  patriarch  at  Damascus  was  in  trouble  at 
this  time,  not  only  with  the  secession  of  the  little  flock 
at  Hasbeiya,  but  also  with  a  powerful  antagonistic  party 
at  Beirut.  The  bishop  of  Beirut  had  died,  and  the  pa- 
triarch came  from  Damascus  to  consecrate  another.  His 
will  was  to  put  into  the  office  one  against  whom  the 
people  had  insuperable  objections.  They  believed  that 
he  was  moved  in  his  choice  by  large  bribes  and  by  the 
fact  that  his  candidate  was  a  native  Greek,  while  they 
wanted  one  of  their  own  countrymen.  His  overbearing 
temper,  his  evident  love  of  gain  and  his  double  dealing 
became  so  apparent  that  they  could  bear  him  no  longer. 
They  almost  mobbed  him,  and  in  one  of  their  gatherings, 
among  the  cries  from  the  multitude  was  this :  "  Think 
not  that  you  are  in  Hasbeiya  now ;  this  is  Beirut."  He 
was  also  advised  to  take  warning  from  what  had  hap- 
pened to  the  Pope  of  Rome,  who  had  lately  fled  to 
Gaeta.  Beirut  became  too  uncomfortable  for  him,  and 
he  was  constrained  to  seek  his  Damascus  home,  crossing 
Lebanon  and  Antilebanon  in  mid-winter  on  horseback, 
though  more  than  eighty  years  old,  leaving  the  people 


BIBLE    WORK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS.  ^7 

behind  him  quite  satisfied  to  remain  without  either 
bishop  or  patriarch. 

It  may  be  remarked  in  this  connection  that  the  papal 
Greek  patriarch,  the  only  one  of  any  note  beside  the  two 
above  mentioned,  was  subjected  to  a  worrisome  contro- 
versy with  a  powerful  son  of  his  church  who  lately  left 
popery  for  Protestantism.  This  man  was  Dr.  Michael 
Meshaka.  Meshaka  had  been  at  heart  an  infidel,  but  had 
been  converted  by  reading  a  translation  of  Keith  on  the 
Prophecies.  He  had  come  out  with  all  boldness  before 
priests  and  people  to  defend  the  scriptures  against  all  the 
added  perversions  and  traditions  of  men.  "  This,'^  says 
Mr.  Smith,  "  has  brought  on  a  controversy  between  him 
and  his  former  patriarch,  and,  as  Meshaka  is  probably 
the  most  intelligent  layman  in  the  country  and  the  pa- 
triarch the  most  learned  ecclesiastic,  attention  is  directed 
from  all  quarters  to  what  is  going  on  between  them. 
The  doctor  favors  me  with  a  copy  of  all  the  correspond- 
ence between  him  and  his  antagonist.  It  is  deeply  in- 
teresting both  from  the  ability  displayed  and  the  deep 
Christian  sincerity  that  animates  him.  Every  word  of 
the  documents  in  my  hand  deserves  to  be  translated  and 
printed  at  home.'' 

The  city  of  Tripoli  was  occupied  as  a  mission  station 
in  1848  by  Messrs.  AYilson  and  Foote.  They  had  the 
very  efficient  aid  of  Mr.  Yanni,  the  American  consular 
agent  in  the  city,  and  the  countenance  at  least  of  an- 
other young  man,  a  decided,  though  not  very  active, 
Protestant,  who  had  an  honorable  employment  under 
government.  The  former  was  a  relative  of  the  late  con- 
sular agent,  Girgis  Catziflis,  who  had  some  considerable 
acquaintance  with  Messrs.  Fisk,  King,  and  other  early 
missionaries,  and  had  to  some  extent  adopted  their  sen- 


388  BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

timents.  He  had  long  been  a  Protestant  in  sentiment, 
and  had  been  for  many  months  in  the  daily  habit  of 
reading  the  scriptures  and  of  private  prayer.  He  was 
bold  and  zealous  in  declaring  the  truth  to  others,  and 
had  begun  to  draw  upon  himself  the  usual  consequences 
of  such  a  course.  Yet  his  natural  vivacity  and  exces- 
sive occupation  in  business  rendered  it  doubtful  whether 
the  man's  chief  treasure  was  really  in  heaven. 

As  Tripoli  was  not  considered  a  healthy  residence  in 
summer,  the  two  brethren  looked  out  for  a  more  eligible 
place  on  the  neighboring  mountains.  No  situation  could 
be  more  desirable  than  Eh-heden,  if  the  fanaticism  of 
the  people  would  suffer  it.  They  knew  that  twenty  years 
before,  a  Bible  man  and  family  had  been  driven  from  the 
village  by  order  of  the  patriarch,  but  the  patriarch,  and, 
as  they  thought,  the  disposition  of  the  people  also,  had 
been  changed  since  then,  and  they  concluded  to  obtain  a 
lodgment  there  if  possible.  They  took  all  the  advice 
and  procured  all  the  papers  of  protection  that  seemed 
necessary,  hired  their  houses  and  took  their  keys.  But 
when  they  arrived  with  their  families  and  furniture, 
they  found  their  houses  opened  and  occupied,  and  they 
themselves  refused  admission.  Under  orders  from  the 
patriarch  a  mob  had  assembled,  who  first  attempted  to 
burn  the  houses  and  afterward  began  in  earnest  to  tear 
them  down.  The  two  families  camped  out  for  the  night 
in  the  open  air  and  returned  home  the  next  day.  The 
result  of  this  uproar  was  a  fine  of  seventy  dollars  upon 
the  obedient  sons  of  the  patriarch  and  an  ofiicial  guaranty 
from  the  government  for  the  missionaries  to  reside  iu 
whatever  part  of  the  mountains  they  might  choose.  The 
English  consul,  without  the  knowledge  of  the  brethren, 
laid  the  facts  of  the  case  before  the  British  government 


BIBLE   WORK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS.  389 

at  home,  and  Lord  Palmerston  promptly  administered  a 
severe  rebuke  both  to  the  patriarch  and  to  the  emeer  for 
what  had  been  done  by  their  order  or  connivance. 

For  years  after  this  the  favorite  summer  residence  for 
the  Tripoli  brethren  was  Dooma,  about  eight  hours  south- 
east of  their  station,  where  they  gained  the  confidence 
and  good-will  of  the  people,  and  had  schools  and  relig- 
ious meetings  among  them,  the  latter  of  which  even  the 
priest  himself  approved  and  attended.  In  Tripoli  Messrs. 
Wilson  and  Foote  soon  commenced  a  preaching  service, 
in  which  they  were  assisted  by  young  John  Wortabet, 
who  then  resided  as  a  physician  in  the  city.  Antonius 
Yanni  was  ever  active,  always  present  at  the  preaching 
and  the  Bible  class,  exhorting  all  to  study  the  holy  Bible, 
and  stirring  up  the  bishop  and  the  priests  to  preach  to 
the  people  in  the  churches.  He  himself,  however,  de- 
clined from  year  to  year  uniting  himself  with  what  he 
believed  to  be  the  only  pure  church  in  the  land ;  but  in 
June,  1855,  when  he  could  resist  the  voice  of  conscience 
no  longer,  he  went  to  Beirut  and  publicly  united  with 
the  mission  church.  AYhen  he  returned  home  he  told 
the  family  what  he  had  done.  They  were  wild  with 
rage,  and  assailed  him  unmercifully  with  their  threats 
and  reproaches.  No  one  should  feed  him ;  no  one  should 
bring  him  drink ;  his  wife  should  leave  him  and  take 
his  tw^o  children  with  her,  for  it  was  not  a  Protestant 
that  she  married,  but  a  Greek.  The  brother,  his  part- 
ner in  business,  predicted  their  common  ruin,  and  the 
mother  again  and  again  wished  that  he  and  the  beast  that 
carried  him  to  Beirut  had  been  overwhelmed  by  the  floods 
they  had  to  cross,  and  that  he  had  been  swept  into  the 
sea.  He  had  brought  his  whole  house  under  reproach. 
In  regard  to  himself  she  cared  little.     "  Let  him  think 

33* 


390  BIBLE   WORK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

what  he  chooses  and  believe  what  he  chooses,"  she  said, 
"  and  go  to  heaven  or  hell  as  he  chooses,  bnt  let  him  not 
disgrace  his  family  by  openly  forsaking  the  Greek 
Church." 

The  bishop  took  the  matter  more  coolly.  He  said  to 
the  mother,  "  For  several  years  your  son  has  given  us  a 
great  deal  of  trouble.  When  by  any  accident  he  has 
come  to  our  church- worship,  nothing  has  pleased  him. 
Our  supplications  to  the  saints  have  been  as  rumbling 
thunder  in  his  ears.  Our  sacred  pictures  are  a  staring 
abomination  in  his  eyes,  and  the  smoke  of  our  holy  incense 
is  but  a  stench  in  his  nostrils.  He  has  omitted  no  op- 
portunity to  sow  tares  in  the  minds  of  our  people,  and, 
indeed,  the  devil  in  our  church  would  give  us  less  trou- 
ble than  he.  Better  that  he  should  be  out  of  the  church 
than  in  it."  Through  all  these  agitating  scenes  the  man 
was  enabled  to  maintain  his  self-control  and  to  exhibit  a 
spirit  which  commanded  the  respect  even  of  his  enemies. 
He  very  strenuously  recommended  the  establishing  of  a 
mission  station  at  Hums,  a  large  inland  village  two  days 
north  of  Damascus,  and  perhaps  chiefly  from  his  strong 
recommendation  of  the  place  Mr.  Wilson  removed  thither 
in  1855.  Previous  to  this  Mr.  Foote  had  departed  for 
America,  and  Yanni  was  now  left  comparatively  alone 
at  Tripoli.  But  the  grace  of  God  was  sufficient  for  him, 
and  Dr.  Jessup,  who,  with  Mr.  Lyons,  came  the  next 
year,  wrote  of  him  saying,  "  He  is  a  light  shining  in  a 
dark  place ;  he  seems  to  have  been  raised  up  of  God  for 
some  high  and  holy  purpose,  and  his  conscientious  Chris- 
tian course  has  been  a  source  of  great  encouragement  to 
Mr.  Lyons  and  myself  in  this  spiritual  wilderness." 

When  told  that  the  Hums  station  might  have  to  be 
given  up,  Yanni  was  grieved  and  said,  "  Sooner  than  give 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  391 

up  Hums,  I  would  go  there  myself  and  preach  the  gospel 
four  months  in  the  year.  Perhaps  I  could  go  also  three 
months  to  Hamah.  It  would  be  hard  for  me  to  give 
up  my  business  and  leave  my  family,  but  I  would  do  it 
sooner  than  give  up  Hums."  He  was  offered  the  hon- 
orable and  highly  lucrative  post  of  vice  consul  for 
Russia,  but  he  promptly  refused  the  offer,  simply  because 
it  would  bring  him  into  too  close  relations  with  the  Greek 
Church.  Respecting  Ishoc,  the  proud,  hard-hearted 
brother,  it  is  recorded  that  "his  hostility  to  his  broth- 
er's religious  views  grew  more  and  more  intense.  He 
joined  with  the  rest  of  the  family  in  the  growing  per- 
secution against  him,  and  looked  down  upon  him  with 
cold  contempt.  But  the  time  came  when  this  proud 
brother  was  attacked  by  a  mortal  disease.  The  skill  of 
the  physician  was  baffled.  Antonius  was  assiduous  in 
his  attentions  to  his  loved  and  suffering  brother.  He 
spent  nearly  the  whole  of  one  night  in  the  telegraph 
office,  conversing  with  Dr.  "Van  Dyck,  at  Beirut,  about 
the  case,  but  all  without  avail.  From  the  very  first 
the  patient  seemed  convinced  that  his  end  was  near,  and 
his  heart  was  softened.  Every  day  he  called  Antonius 
and  begged  him  to  read  to  him  from  the  Bible.  He 
listened  with  all  the  eagerness  of  a  dying  man,  and  his 
brother  explained  more  fully  what  he  read,  talked  much 
with  him  and  prayed  with  him.  At  length  Ishoc  said, 
'Now  read  to  me  about  some  great  sinner  who  was 
saved.'  Antonius  read  to  him  about  the  publican  and 
about  Zaccheus.  '  No  !'  said  he ;  '  about  some  greater 
sinner  than  any  of  ihem.^  Then  he  read  to  him  of  the 
thief  on  the  cross.  'Ah  !  that  comes  nearer  to  my  case. 
Read  that  again.'  Again  and  again  he  read  it  over, 
and  Ishoc   seemed   cncourao-ed  to   imitate  the  thief  in 


392  BIBLE   WOKK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS. 

laying  hold  of  Christ,  and  declared  his  belief  in  Christ 
as  the  only  saviour  of  lost  sinners.  He  then  told  his 
mother  to  take  away  those  eihondi  (the  sacred  pictures) 
which  had  been  hung  all  around  the  head  of  his  bed 
through  the  superstitious  zeal  of  his  mother  and  his 
wife.  ^  Take  them  away/  he  said,  ^  it  is  trifling  to  trust 
in  pictures.  Such  a  religion  will  never  do  to  die  by.' 
Turning  to  his  brother  he  begged  him  to  forgive  him 
for  having  persecuted  him  so  long,  and  said,  ^  Dear  An- 
ton ins,  you  have  conquered  me  with  love.  You  have 
never  spoken  an  unkind  word  to  me,  and  nothing  but 
God^s  grace  could  have  enabled  one  of  your  impulsive 
nature  to  be  so  calm  and  patient.'  He  begged  and  en- 
treated his  wife  and  mother  to  trust  in  Christ  alone. 
Toward  the  last  a  company  of  priests,  with  their  black 
flowing  robes  and  swinging  censers,  came  to  burn  incense 
and  ofier  their  prayers  to  the  Virgin  Mary  on  his  behalf. 
He  saw  them  entering  the  room  and  beckoned  them  all 
to  stop,  telling  them  and  all  the  family  that  he  had  done 
for  ever  with  such  things,  and  could  not  allow  anything 
now  to  come  between  him  and  his  Saviour.  They  were 
astonished  at  the  change  wrought  in  him,  but  he  called 
his  brother  and  said,  ^  Bring  the  Bible  and  read  to  them, 
that  these  priests  also  may  be  profited.' 

"Just  before  he  died  he  called  his  whole  family 
around  his  bed  and  spoke  to  them  in  a  clear  voice  about 
his  trust  in  Jesus  as  his  Saviour,  and  raising  both  hands 
he  called  out  loudly,  ^  None  hut  Christ,^  and  died." 

The  Rev.  Samuel  Jessup,  writing  of  Anton ius  Yanni, 
May  11,  1869,  says,  "He  always  and  everywhere  uses  his 
religion.  I  went  with  him  to  see  his  property  at  Ah-ba 
one  day  last  summer,  and  as  we  were  riding  among  the 
fig  trees  I  noticed  some  on  one  side  of  the  road  with  a 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS.  393 

ring  of  red  mud  around  them.  Ou  inquiry,  I  learned 
that  on  the  feast  day  of  St.  John  the  people  thus  paint  all 
their  fig  trees,  saying  that  St.  John  will  then  make  them 
fruitful.  Mr.  Yanni  forbade  the  workmen  paintiiig 
his  trees.  The  workmen  obeyed  him,  but  assured  him 
that  he  would  have  no  fruit.  Indeed,  he  expected  none, 
because  it  was  not  tlie  fruitful  year ;  but  there  we  saw 
before  us  his  trees  to  be  the  only  trees  in  the  region  that 
were  bearing  well.  Those  painted 'in  honor  of  St.  John 
had  no  fruit  on  them. 

"A  little  farther  on  we  passed  under  a  beautiful  little 
olive  tree,  and  Mr.  Yanni  said  to  me,  '  Do  you  see  your 
tree?'  MVhat  do  you  mean?'  said  I.  ^Why,  that 
beautiful  tree  is  consecrated  to  you  and  your  successors.' 
'How  so?'  said  I.  'Well,  I 'will  tell  you.  When  I 
bought  it  last  year,  my  farmer  told  me  that  for  five  or 
six  years  the  tree  had  not  borne  an  olive,  and  it  was  not 
worth  the  ground  it  stood  on,  and  urged  me  to  cut  it 
down  and  plant  another  in  its  place.  But  I  told  him 
to  dig  about  it  and  dung  it  another  year,  and  if  it  did 
not  do  well,  then  I  would  cut  it  down,  and  if  it  bore 
well,  then  it  should  be  henceforth  dedicated  to  the  mis- 
sionaries in  Tripoli,  and  now  you  see  how  God  has 
blessed  it  for  you.'  In  fact  there  was  not  another  tree 
around  us  so  loaded  wath  olives,  and  my  jars,  from  which 
I  am  eating  every  day,  have  been  filled  with  its  delicious 
fruit. 

"  Mr.  Yanni  spends  considerable  time  at  this  place, 
and  sometimes  comes  out  to  the  village  on  Sundays. 
He  has  produced  a  very  decided  reform  in  the  mode  of 
keeping  the  Sabbath  in  the  village,  although  all  the  in- 
habitants are  Maronites.  He  always  has  prayers  every 
night  with  his  men,  and  they  have  become  so,  at  length, 


394  BIBLE   WORK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

that  they  do  not  like  to  have  anythhig  occur  to  keep 
them  from  the  service.  One  old  man,  however,  has 
given  him  a  good  deal  of  trouble  on  the  score  of  Sab- 
bath-breaking, and  seems  utterly  incorrigible.  He  is 
very  penurious,  and  owns  a  great  many  goats,  upon 
which  he  quite  sets  his  heart.  One  Sunday  Mr.  Yanni 
saw  him  mending  his  plough,  and  after  arguing  the 
matter  with  him,  said,  ^  You  try  to  cheat  the  Lord  out 
of  the  time  that  belongs  to  him.  This  is  his  day,  not 
yours.  But  you  will  gain  nothing  in  the  end.  I  should 
not  wonder  if  a  wolf  should  come  and  kill  one  of  your 
goats  this  very  night.  The  old  man  dismissed  the 
matter,  saying  he  was  too  old  to  learn.  Sure  enough, 
the  next  morning  his  shepherd  brought  him  a  dead  goat 
from  his  flock  and  told  him  that  a  wolf  had  killed  it 
only  a  few  hours  before,  and  that  perhaps  Mr.  Yanni 
would  buy  a  piece  of  the  meat.  The  old  man  was  not 
more  struck  with  the  circumstance  than  was  Mr.  Yanni 
himself  Some  time  afterward  the  man  lost  another  goat, 
and  Yanni  said  to  him,  ^Ah,  you  have 'been  working 
again  on  the  Sabbath,  contrary  to  your  promise.'  He 
confessed  that  it  was  so,  but  said  he  could  not  learn 
easily. 

"  Mr.  Yanni  was  building  a  house  at  Ah-ba,  and  had 
burned  a  lime-kiln.  The  lime  was  just  ready  to  be  re- 
moved from  the  kiln  on  a  Saturday  night  when,  from 
every  appearance,  there  was  a  heavy  storm  preparing. 
Men  could  not  be  had  to  secure  the  lime  immediately, 
as  they  were  all  busy  about  their  own  work,  but  they 
said  to  him,  if  the  storm  held  off,  they  would  come  early 
in  the  morning  and  make  a  bee,  and  get  all  the  lime  in 
before  it  should  rain.  ^  No  !  never !  never !'  said  he. 
^  If  I  lose  all  my  property j  I  will  not  work  on  Sunday. 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS.  395 

The  Lord  says,  "Them  that  honor  rae  I  will  honor/'  and 
if  the  Lord  spoils  my  lime  I  shall  not  have  spoiled  my 
conscience,  and  I  know  he  will  make  it  up  to  me  in 
some  way.'  Then  he  rebuked  them  severely  for  thus 
tempting  him  after  all  that  he  had  taught  them.  So  he 
prayed  in  secret  that  the  Lord  would  get  honor  to  him- 
self among  that  simple-minded  people.  *  I  trembled,' 
said  he,  ^all  the  forenoon  as  I  saw  the  storm  thickening. 
But  I  knew  I  was  right,  and  when  the  men  came  beg- 
ging me  to  let  them  go  to  work,  I  detained  them  by 
reading  the  Bible  to  them.  The  storm  came  all  around 
with  great  fury — thunder  and  hail  and  wind  and  tor- 
rents of  rain.  The  little  dry  bed  of  a  stream  near  by 
the  lime-kiln  became  a  roaring  river  in  a  few  moments, 
but  not  a  drop  of  water  fell  on  that  kiln,  nor  within  an 
eighth  of  a  mile  of  it.  All  around,  the  country  was 
deluged  with  rain,  but  that  little  village  got  only  a  few 
scattering  hail-stones.'  The  people  were  amazed,  and 
from  that  time  they  have  held  Mr.  Yanni  in  a  sort  of 
superstitious  regard. 

"  These  items,"  Mr.  Jessup  testifies,  "  are  all  literally 
true.  What  I  have  not  myself  seen  I  have  heard  from 
the  mouths  of  many  witnesses,  and  from  some  who 
would  rather  they  had  not  been  true." 

Another  prominent  witness  for  the  truth  appeared  in 
Tripoli  in  1858,  whose  history  is  thus  given  by  Mr. 
Lyons;  "Abdallah  Zeidan  was  originally  of  the  Greek 
sect.  Several  years  ago  he  was  a  merchant  in  Aleppo. 
Having  failed  in  business  from  the  dishonesty  of  his 
debtors,  he  invoked  the  aid  of  the  saints,  and  particu- 
larly of  the  Virgin  Mary,  relying  on  their  assistance. 
One  man  who  owed  him  five  thousand  piasters  having 
fled  to  Alexandria,  Abdallah  followed  him.     Meeting 


396  BIBLE   WORK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

him  in  the  street,  he  demanded  that  he  should  pay  the 
debt  or  else  make  oath  in  the  church  before  the  picture 
of  the  Holy  Virgin  that  he  owed  him  nothing.  The 
man  chose  the  latter.  The  parties  appeared  together, 
and  the  unscrupulous  debtor  took  a  solemn  oath  before 
the  picture  that  he  owed  Abdallah  nothing.  Horrified 
at  the  man's  falsehood  and  perjury,  and  strong  in  his 
belief  in  the  power  of  the  Virgin,  Abdallah  seized  hold 
upon  her  picture  and  shaking  it  with  great  violence  im- 
plored her  earnestly  to  interpose  in  his  behalf.  He  ex- 
pected to  see  the  man  fell  down  dead  before  leaving  the 
house.  But  how  great  was  his  mortification  and  sur- 
prise, after  all  his  prayers  and  imprecations,  to  see  the 
perjured  man  walk  safely  and  unharmed  from  the  church 
into  the  street.  From  that  moment  his  faith  in  the  Vir- 
gin was  shaken.''  At  Beirut,  on  his  return  from  Egypt, 
he  was  attracted  by  the  sight  of  our  Protestant  book  de- 
pository, and  there  found  a  book  on  popery  and  on  the 
worship  of  pictures  and  saints.  He  begged  the  book  as 
a  gift  and  took  it  home.  By  comparing  its  teachings 
with  those  of  the  scriptures  he  was  gradually  led  to  un- 
derstand and  receive  the  truth.  He  afterw^ard  removed 
his  family  to  Hums,  where  he  was  twice  imprisoned  by 
the  bishop  for  his  Protestantism.  He  then  removed  to 
Tripoli.  In  the  spring  of  1858  he  applied  for  admission 
to  the  Protestant  Church,  where,  after  some  months' 
delay,  he  was  received. 

Another  notable  member  of  the  church  at  Tripoli  is 
Ishoc  (Isaac)  el  Kefroony,  from  a  Greek  village  twelve 
miles  north-east  of  Tripoli,  called  Sheikh  Mohammed. 
Mr.  S.  Jessup  says  of  him,  *^  About  nine  years  ago  he 
heard  the  gospel  and  became  convinced  of  the  truth  and 
declared  himself  a  Protestant.     From  that  day  to  this 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  397 

he  has  been  the  subject  of  bitter  persecution."  The 
Muslim  beg  cliose  him  for  his  secretary,  rejecting  the 
applications  of  a  large  number  of  wealthy  and  influen- 
tial Greek,  Maronite  and  Muslim  applicants,  "because," 
said  he,  "you  are  the  only  man  in  all  this  region  whom 
I  can  fully  trust."  The  beg  tells  others  that  Ishoc's 
scrupulous  honesty  far  surpasses  anything  he  had  ever 
heard  of.  Once  his  enemies  went  in  the  night  and  de- 
stroyed fifty  dollars'  worth  of  his  property.  The  beg 
was  very  angry  about  it,  and  offered  to  destroy  all  that 
those  men  possessed.  But  Ishoc  would  not  consent, 
saying,  "I  have  learned  not  to  render  evil  for  evil." 
Ishoc  was  for  years  quite  alone,  but  of  late  others  have 
come  out  and  stand  by  his  side. 

Safeeta,*  an  out  station  of  Tripoli,  nearly  thirty  miles 
from  it  north-eastward,  is  a  large  village  inhabited  by 
Greek  Arabs  and  Nusairiyeh.*  At  first  the  come- 
outers  were  chiefly  inclined  by  worldly  motives  to  seek 
relationship  with  Protestants,  and  since  then  they  have 
experienced  a  series  of  instructions  and  persecutions 
very  similar  to  those  of  their  brethren  of  Mt.  Hermon. 
They  were  visited  in  1865  by  Dr.  Post,  then  stationed 
at  Tripoli,  who  found  them  gathered  together  again 
after  having  been  dispersed  like  sheep  by  devouring 
wolves.  The  doctor  says,  "  The  family  of  tax-gatherers 
previously  alluded  to  used  all  means  of  fraud  and 
bribery  to  induce  the  Muslim  governor  to  oppress  them 
and  steal  their  property,  that  they  might  be  forced  by 
starvation  back  to  their  old  religion.  Turkish  soldiers 
were  sent  to  the  houses  and  ordered  to  break  all  that 
could  be  broken  and  to  eat  all  that  could  be  eaten,  to 
beat  the  men  and  abuse  the  women. 

*  Sec  Illustration  on  page  333. 
34 


398  BIBLE    WORK    IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

"These  cruel  orders  were  so  effectually  carried  out 
that  the  people  were  driven  from  the  village,  and  In 
many  of  the  houses  all  that  they  had  laid  by  in  store  as 
provision  for  winter  was  stolen  from  them.  Even  the 
wheat  on  the  threshing-floors  was  taken  and  the  straw 
set  on  fire  by  these  ruthless  barbarians." 

In  October  of  the  next  year  the  same  visitor  reports, 
saying,  "  The  Protestants  are  enjoying  a  rest  after  their 
severe  distresses,  and  an  abundant  harvest  has  supplied 
their  present  wants.  The  young  men,  Hanna  and  Yoo- 
sef,  who  came  from  Safeeta  to  Abeih  Seminary,  as  well  as 
the  two  girls  who  studied  In  the  girls'  school  in  Beirut, 
have  filled  the  minds  of  the  youth  here  of  both  sexes 
with  an  ardent  desire  for  knowledge. 

"  But  again  the  tidings  of  evil  came,  that  on  January 
22,  1867,  the  whole  Protestant  community  of  Safeeta 
were  arrested — men,  women  and  children — and  thrust 
into  prison  in  a  small  room,  and  a  fire  of  cut  straw  was 
made  on  the  floor  to  torment  them  with  the  smoke,  but 
they  were  finally  released  by  the  Influence  of  some  whose 
hearts  relented.  On  one  evening  they  assembled  for 
worship  with  Yoosef,  the  native  preacher,  and  while 
there  the  government  horsemen  attacked  the  whole  com- 
munity, broke  open  their  houses  and  plundered  them, 
and  dispersed  all  of  their  number  without  exception — 
old  and  young,  mothers  and  children,  boys  and  girls — 
into  the  wilderness,  and  this  In  the  night-time. 

"  They  despatched  a  messenger  to  Tripoli  and  Beirut 
for  aid,  and  efforts  were  at  once  made  to  secure  better 
treatment  for  these  oppressed  people.  These  efforts  were 
finally  successful,  and  the  brethren  at  Tripoli  were  rejoic- 
ing In  hope  that  now  at  last  that  suffering  flock  of  the 
Lord  might  enjoy  a  permanent  peace.'^ 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  399 

To  the  evidence  already  adduced,  showing  the  power 
of  the  gospel  in  this  northern  part  of  Syria,  may  be 
added  some  facts  in  the  colporteur's  experience.  One 
of  these  self-denying  and  useful  helpers  in  the  dissemi- 
nation of  the  gospel,  whose  name  was  Ishoc  esh  Shemaa, 
after  visiting  various  other  places,  came  to  the  village  of 
Sheikh  Mohammed,  where  resided  his  namesake  Ishoc 
el  Kefroony,  of  whom  he  speaks  thus : 

"He  is  always  ready  to  receive  every  brother  who 
arrives  at  that  place.  He  seems  much  advanced  in  spir- 
itual knowledge.  We  spent  our  evenings  in  prayer  and 
praise.  Multitudes  of  the  villagers  assembled  with  us 
desiring  to  hear  of  the  salvation  of  the  gospel,  and  they 
seemed  to  rejoice  in  it.  I  rejoiced,  too,  to  teach  them 
the  way  of  life,  and  I  trust  our  meetings  were  blessed. 
Several  persons,  however,  in  the  village  opposed  us,  and 
broke  into  the  house  of  one  of  the  Protestants,  beat  him 
and  robbed  him,  and  took  away  his  wife.  Then  one  of 
the  priests  raised  the  cry,  ^  Whoever  loves  God  let  him 
collect  wood  to  burn  the  house  where  this  preacher  is, 
and  destroy  these  gospel  men  and  their  leader  with  them.' 
That  was  a  fearful  night.  The  whole  Greek  part  of  the 
village  gathered  in  a  mob  with  weapons,  wood  and  fire- 
brands, to  come  down  the  hill  to  Ishoc's  house  and  de- 
stroy it.  Ishoc  himself  was  then  not  at  home.  But 
see  how  God  protects  his  people !  Across  the  little  val- 
ley is  a  part  of  the  same  village,  inhabited  by  Muslims, 
who  are  friends  of  our  brother.  A  child,  moved  by  some 
influence  7\ot  ourSy  carried  them  word  that  the  Christian 
people  of  the  village  were  coming  down  toward  the  val- 
ley to  burn  Ishoc's  house.  In  one  moment  all  the 
Muslim  agas  and  their  men  armed  themselves,  crossed 
the  valley  and  stood   before  the  house.     The  mob,  as 


400  BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

they  came  down,  called  out,  ^  Who's  there?'  The  answer 
was,  *  We  are  here,  and  if  you  do  anything  to  the  owner 
of  this  house  we'll  burn  you7'  houses  and  leave  not  one  of 
you  alive.''  When  they  heard  this  they  fled,  leaving  us 
in  peace.  Had  not  these  Muslims  come  to  us  the  house 
would  most  certainly  have  been  burned,  and  we  who 
were  in  it  might  have  been  all  killed.  When  Ishoc 
returned  and  heard  what  had  happened  he  smiled  and 
said,  ^  Not  a  hair  of  our  heads  shall  fall  to  the  ground 
without  our  Father.'  After  this  the  brother  whose 
house  was  plundered  went  down  to  Tripoli  and  brought 
an  order  from  the  government  to  have  the  case  tried  and 
one  of  the  Protestants  to  be  in  the  court  to  try  it.  This 
so  alarmed  the  Greeks  that  they  immediately  restored  to 
him  his  wife  and  all  his  stolen  property,  and  begged 
the  man's  pardon.  Thus  does  God. take  care  for  his 
children. 

"  We  went  to  Beit  Millat  to  find  an  elderly  man,  a 
brother  in  Christ,  named  Hanna  el  Khoori.  We  reached 
the  village  very  late,  and  nobody  would  tell  us  where 
he  lived,  for  he  was  greatly  persecuted.  But  providen- 
tially, as  we  were  passing  a  certain  house  we  heard  some 
one  reading  aloud,  and  thought  this  must  be  the  place. 
So  we  entered,  and  he  rose  to  receive  us,  saying,  ^  You 
are  very  welcome.'  And  in  this  way  our  conversation 
commenced.  I  said  to  him,  '  I  thank  Jesus  Christ,  my 
brother,  who  has  given  you  this  book.'  He  burst  into 
tears  and  fell  on  my  neck,  saying,  *  I  am  a  poor  sinful 
man ;  I  am  not  worthy  to  be  named  in  the  same  breath 
with  the  name  of  Christ.'  And  then  he  wept  again, 
and  I  wept,  and  the  brother  who  was  with  me  wept. 
Then  we  began  to  rejoice  together  in  the  Lord,  who  had 
saved  us  with  his  own  blood  and  granted  us  everlasting 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  401 

comfort  and  joy.  Oh  what  a  blessed,  happy  night  was 
that ! 

"  Hanua  told  us  of  all  his  trials  and  persecutions — how 
he  had  been  excommunicated  from  the  Maronite  Church, 
and  how  priests  had  come  from  Tripoli  to  bring  him 
back  to  them.  But  they  could  not  convince  him ;  and 
when  he  told  me  his  answers  to  them,  I  was  amazed  at 
his  knowledge  of  the  scriptures.  Then  a  company  of 
the  people  assembled  with  us,  and  we  spent  eight  hours 
that  night  in  reading  the  scriptures  and  prayer.  This 
brother,  Hanna,  was  once  president  of  the  Papal  Broth- 
erhood, a  society  among  the  Maronites,  and  now  he  is  so 
poor  that  he  had  no  food  to  set  before  us.  When  he 
had  learned  the  truth  of  the  gospel  he  was  put  out  of 
office  and  another  man  was  chosen  president  in  his  place, 
and  he,  too,  has  followed  Hanna  in  embracing  the  gos- 
pel, and  nearly  twelve  men  in  their  connection  have 
been  similarly  enlightened.  Hanna  is  indeed  very  poor, 
but  he  said,  *  I  am  ready  to  die  for  the  gospel ;  I  must 
attend  first  of  all  to  my  soul's  salvation.'  Oh  how  my 
heart  rejoiced  at  w^hat  I  saw  in  the  house  of  this  brother 
of  Beit  Millat ! 

"  I  went  to  Meshta,  where  the  people  all  know  me, 
and  they  were  greatly  enraged  when  I  spoke  to  them  of 
the  gospel.  My  grandfather  and  father  were  both  very 
wicked  men,  and  had  often  shed  human  blood.  My 
father  was  a  strolling  singer  and  player  on  stringed  in- 
struments, and  he  used  to  bring  me  to  Meshta  from 
Hums  when  I  was  a  lad  to  sing  with  him.  So  the  peo- 
ple remembered  me,  and  in  the  evening  they  crowded 
together  and  insulted  me  and  threatened  my  life.  One 
of  the  priests  said,  ^  Far  better  rob  and  kill  and  stroll 
about,  as  did  your  father,  than  carry  about  those  books 

34* 


402  BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

and  come  to  preach  to  us.'  I  assured  them  my  father 
repented  and  died  in  the  gospel  faith,  but  this  made  them 
more  angry  still.  I  found  I  could  not  stay  in  Meshta, 
so  I  hastened  next  day  to  go  to  Kefroon,  but  in  a  forest, 
on  the  way  to  that  place,  a  ruffian  from  Meshta,  whom 
I  had  seen  the  night  before,  sprang  upon  me  from  the 
bushes  and  knocked  me  to  the  ground  with  a  club.  He 
then  knocked  down  also  my  companion,  a  young  man 
from  Safeeta.  I  sprang  up  and  ran,  but  he  pursued  me 
and  bruised  my  shoulder  and  back  with  his  club  until  I 
entered  Kefroon,  but  as  no  one  would  allow  us  to  stay 
there,  I  had  to  return  to  Safeeta.  A  man  in  Kefroon 
so  far  befriended  me  as  to  procure  an  armed  man  to  go 
with  me  and  save  me  from  further  violence.  Yet  in  all 
this  I  rejoiced  that  I  was  counted  worthy  to  suffer  per- 
secution for  the  cross  of  Christ.'' 

A  man  from  the  village  of  Mahardee  came  from  time 
to  time  to  buy  Bibles  at  Hums  to  sell  again.  The  vil- 
lage is  north  of  Hamath,  contains  four  thousand  inhab- 
itants, wild  and  uninstructed.  The  only  Protestant  in 
it  was  a  sheikh,  who,  for  want  of  the  cash  or  for  some 
other  reason,  gave  his  sword  for  a  Bible.  In  that  half- 
civilized  region,  where  most  men  wear  arms  and  where 
he  himself  had  found  use  for  his  sword  in  self-defence, 
he  had  chosen  to  give  up  his  w^eapon  of  steel  and  trust 
to  the  sword  of  the  Spirit.  This  sword  of  the  sheikh 
was  brought  to  the  missionary  at  Hums  and  by  him 
sent  as  a  trophy  to  the  American  Bible  Society.  We 
may  expect  to  hear  something  more  hereafter  from  that 
village,  Mahardee. 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

Sidon — Messrs.  Thomson  and  Van  Dyck,  laborers,  with  helpers,  Tan- 
noos  el  Haddad  and  Eleeas  Fuaz — Sabbath  services — The  hearers 
are  laid  under  ban — A  .Jesuit  preacher — Meetings  in  Lady  Stan- 
hope's Joon — Petitions  from  Deir  el  Komraer — Church  of  seven 
members  organized — Calls  from  Birteh,  Kana,  Alma,  Kasheiya — 
Cruelty  of  the  governor  of  Tyre — Deir  el  Kommer — Ain  Zehalta 
oat-station — Druzes  attack  Deir  el  Kommer  Jime  1,  1860,  and  on 
the  22d  utterly  destroy  it — Letter  of  Mrs.  Bird — Wholesale  butch- 
ery— A  few  saved  by  the  missionary — Attack  and  massacre  at 
Hasbeiya — Destruction  of  the  city  of  Zahleh — Kush  of  people, 
wounded  and  impoverished,  to  Beirut — Task  of  feeding  them — 
The  part  performed  by  the  Americans — The  mission  transferred  to 
the  Presbyterian  Board — Its  present  state — Letter  of  Mr.  Dodge. 

SIDON  began  to  be  occupied  as  a  regular  mission  sta- 
tion by  Messrs.  Thomson  and  Van  Dyck  in  1855. 
They  were  accompanied  by  the  two  native  preachers, 
Tannoos  el  Haddad  and  Eleeas  Fuaz.  Their  way  had 
been  prepared  to  some  extent  by  the  residence  here  of 
Bishop  Yacob  Aga,  and  more  especially  by  the  zealous, 
though  brief,  labors  of  Priest  Wortabet,  with  whom 
Tannoos  himself  had  sometimes  been  associated.  They 
commenced  with  two  services  on  the  Sabbath,  with  an 
average  attendance  of  thirty  or  more  hearers,  though 
sometimes  the  number  amounted  to  fifty  or  sixty. 

Their  chapel  was  repeatedly  placed  under  the  ban  of 
the  priests,  spies  were  stationed  within  and  without  it, 
yet  a  goodly  number  of  hearers  would  always  attend. 
The  enemy,  in  self-defence,  suddenly  introduced  the 
novelty  of  preaching  themselves.     A  capuchin  friar  was 

4U3 


404  BIBLE   WORK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

imported  for  that  object  from  Beirut.  Some  said  the  friar 
was  now  attempting  something  beyond  his  reach ;  others 
said  he  was  an  eloquent  preacher,  only  they  couldnH  un- 
derstand his  Arabic.  The  Greek  Catholic  bishop,  who 
spent  part  of  his  time  in  the  city,  and  sometimes  preached 
about  the  Virgin  or  about  the  Protestants,  could  not 
satisfy  his  people.  They  demanded  preaching  about  the 
gospel.  In  a  time  of  great  drought  the  Maronites  not 
only  joined  the  other  sects  in  having  prayers  for  rain, 
but  got  up  a  splendid  procession  through  the  streets, 
carrying  on  high  a  cross  and  a  picture  of  the  Virgin. 
The  bishop  refused  to  do  this,  saying,  "  We  should 
only  make  ourselves  a  laughing-stock  to  the  Protest- 
ants.^' Six  men  had  been  publicly  recognized  by  the 
government  as  Protestants,  and  had  paid  their  taxes  as 
such.  All  but  one  of  these  had  been  subject  to  special 
persecution.  Schools,  visits,  Bible  reading,  etc.,  were 
all  employed  to  draw  the  attention  of  the  people  to  the 
great  subject  of  salvation,  and  not  without  eflPect.  Re- 
ligious discussions  were  rife  in  every  direction.*  Re- 
ligious truth  was  spreading  in  the  neighboring  villages. 
In  Joon  itself,  the  village  of  the  celebrated  Lady  Stan- 

*  Sidon  is  now  (1872)  a  prosperous  station  of  the  Syria  mission,  and 
is  occupied  by  Rev.  Messrs.  Eddy  and  Dennis.  The  view  which  we 
give  is  taken  from  a  point  south  of  the  city,  looking  across  a  little  bay 
which  curves  inward  almost  to  a  complete  semi-circle  just  south  of  the 
seaside  gate.  Although  much  of  the  city  is  not  visible  from  this  direc- 
tion, yet  that  which  is  seen  is  the  quarter  occupied  by  the  mission- 
aries and  the  scene  of  the  mission  operations  in  the  city.  Near  to 
the  mark  over  the  large  building  on  the  left  is  the  home  of  Mr.  Eddy, 
while  the  highest  building  on  the  right,  under  the  other  mark,  is  that 
of  the  girls'  boarding-school.  The  church-building  and  boys'  school 
are  not  in  sight,  being  hidden  behind  the  buildings  in  the  foreground. 
In  the  female  boarding-school  are  about  twenty  scholars,  who  are 
trained  here  for  future  usefulness. 


'l''"!lliRf^:3B||[i;[i[i|!l(([||n|p 


il  llli 

lisfiliiui^': 
iiliiiiiiilJiiiiiiiii, 


1 


ilili:il'iili!ii:[:ltt^^^^^ 


406  BIBLE   WORK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

hope,  a  zealous  Sidonlan  had  obtained  a  residence,  and 
his  house  was  constantly  visited  by  inquirers.  They 
had  regular  meetings  every  evening  for  the  study  of  the 
scriptures.  Could  her  late  ladyship  have  lived  to  see 
that  fearful  "rage  of  Bibles"  spreading  till  it  had  reached 
her  very  doors,  her  hope  of  ever  seeing  her  friend  Barker 
again  must  have  been  faint  indeed. 

A  brother  of  this  same  zealous  Protestant  at  Joon  was 
exerting  the  same  kind  of  influence  in  the  large  village 
of  Birteh,  directly  east  of  Sidon,  on  the  mountains.  A 
number  of  families  there  had  combined  together  and  de- 
clared themselves  Protestants.  Tyre  and  the  mountains 
above  it  were  in  great  need  of  a  separate  laborer.  In 
Kana  (given  by  Joshua  to  the  tribe  of  Asher,  Josh.  xix. 
28)  there  had  been  a  decided  movement  among  the  most 
respectable  part  of  the  people.  The  same  was  true  of 
Alma,  higher  up  in  the  mountains  of  Antilebanon. 

This  general  and  increasing  attention  to  the  new  doc- 
trines was  seen  by  the  priests  to  endanger  their  interests, 
and  they  combined  in  a  united  onset  upon  the  new  fol- 
lowers of  the  gospel.  Many  of  course  were  sifted  out  as 
chaff  from  the  wheat,  but  more  or  less  of  the  good  seed 
was  left.  At  Sidon  particularly  the  number  of  new 
persons  that  continued  to  come  filled  up  the  place  of 
those  that  left. 

Repeated  applications  were  made  by  some  of  the  most 
respectable  men  from  Deir  el  Kommer  for  schools  and  a 
laborer  at  that  place.  They  were  reminded  of  the  treat- 
ment received  there  by  our  brethren.  Smith,  Wolcott  and 
Van  Dyck,  a  few  years  ago,  but  they  said,  "  We  are  not 
such  fools  now  as  we  were  at  that  time.  We  have  learned 
something  since  then  both  in  regard  to  our  hierarchy 
and  in  regard  to  yourselves."     In  a  short  time  a  Prot 


BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  407 

estant  CImrcli  was  organized  in  Sidon  consisting  of  seven 
members,  which  was  soon  increased  by  others  from  the 
city  itself  and  from  neighboring  villages. 

The  people  of  Kana  sent  out  a  deputation  with  a 
petition  signed  by  twenty-six  persons  asking  for  a 
preacher  and  a  school.  Dawhir  Abbood,  who  was  im- 
mediately called  from  Kheiam,  when  he  went  and  saw 
their  earnestness,  was  greatly  delighted.  Mr.  Eddy 
visited  Kana  and  found  all  but  one  of  the  twenty-six 
petitioners  still  in  the  same  mind  and  profiting  by  the 
instructions  of  Abbood.  About  forty  assembled  for 
worship  and  instruction.  From  Kana  he  proceeded  to 
Alma.  The  people  here  had  been  assailed  by  persecu- 
tion in  vain.  At  this  time  Satan  was  using  another 
mode  of  trial — that  of  internal  division.  Mr.  Eddy 
spent  three  days  with  them,  and  succeeded  in  restoring 
harmony  between  the  parties.  After  this,  in  company 
with  his  father,  who  was  on  a  visit  to  Syria,  Mr.  Eddy 
made  a  visit  to  Alma,  and  on  the  Sabbath  administered 
the  Lord^s  Supper  and  baptized  two  children.  The 
meetings  were  attended  by  from  fifty  to  seventy  persons. 

At  Kana  the  bishop  and  some  of  the  most  wealthy  men 
of  Tyre  came  out  together,  and  had  a  formal  meeting  with 
the  Protestants  to  seek  to  influence  them,  but  all  in  vain. 
Next  came  the  prior  of  the  convents  and  tried  his  skill, 
and  the  effect  of  all  this  effort  was  that  two  more  of  the 
papists  came  out  and  added  their  names  to  the  list  of  Prot- 
estants. The  number  soon  increased  to  forty,  who  were 
considered  earnest  and  hopeful  inquirers.  The  priests 
were  exasperated.  The  French  consul  was  appealed  to, 
and  the  pasha  was  induced  to  grant  leave  to  the  good 
Catholics  of  the  village  to  punish  their  heretical  neigh- 
bors in   any  way  they  chose.     So   beating,  fining  with 


408  BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

false  claims  for  debts,  etc.,  were  duly  practiced,  yet  the 
Protestant  numbers  continued  to  increase.  The  wrath 
of  man  praised  the  Lord.  The  same  was  true  of  the 
people  of  the  village  of  Eleeas  Yacob,  Easheiyet  el  Fak- 
har.  'But  the  Kana  Protestants,  perhaps  because  they 
were  nearer  the  rod  of  the  oppressor,  were  pursued  with 
a  malignity  surpassing  all  others.  Several  of  the  women 
had  been  unmercifully  beaten.  One  woman  had  twice 
had  her  food  poisoned  by  her  Catholic  cook.  One 
mother  was  assailed  so  furiously  that  her*  child  was 
dashed  from  her  arms  and  killed ;  another  was  herself 
nearly  killed.  The  men,  after  paying  their  taxes  for  the 
year,  were  called  upon  to  pay  them  a  second  time.  The 
head  man  of  the  village  called  on  the  governor  of  Tyre, 
showed  him  his  receipt,  with  the  governor's  own  signa- 
ture, acknowledging  his  payment  of  all  government  dues 
for  the  year,  but  this  only  seemed  to  enrage  the  tyrant, 
who  ordered  him  to  be  beaten  and  put  in  prison.  The 
other  Protestants  were  sent  for,  but  only  two  could  be 
found.  These  were  brought  and  immediately  put  under 
the  bastinado  and  then  into  prison.  They  had  been 
beaten  in  the  most  merciless  manner  with  the  staff  upon 
their  feet,  and  besides  that,  had  been  kicked  and  tram- 
pled on  to  make  them  lie  still.  Two  of  them  were 
beaten  again  in  the  morning,  and  then  all  were  let  go. 
They  laid  a  complaint  against  the  governor  before  the 
notorious  Kurschid  Pasha  (nicknamed  cursed  pasha) 
at  Beirut,  and  after  a  pretended  examination  into  their 
case  and  after  a  detention  of  two  months,  all  the  while 
out  of  business,  they  received  an  award  of  twenty  or 
thirtv  dollars,  from  which,  however,  they  must  pay  their 
two  months'  board  and  the  surgeon's  fee  for  attending 
to  the  healing  of  their  wounds.     Mix  Pope  and  Turk 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  409 

together  after  tliis  sort,  and  we  see  what  kind  of  civil 
government  comes  out  of  the  compound. 

Deir  el  Kommer. — After  the  occupation  of  this  city 
and  capital  of  Lebanon  for  a  short  time  by  three  or  four 
of  our  missionaries  in  1841,  it  was  left  vacant  for  some 
years,  but  in  the  latter  part  of  1855  it  was  again  occu- 
pied, with  the  view  of  making  it  a  permanent  station,  by 
the  Rev.  William  Bird,  son  of  the  author,  who,  with  his 
wife  and  Miss  Cheney,  had  joined  the  mission  two  years 
before.  He  was  accustomed  to  have  a  Bible-class  in  the 
morning  of  every  Sabbath,  and  regularly  a  preaching  ex- 
ercise in  the  afternoon  to  about  twenty-five  persons.  He 
saw  much  of  the  people  in  private  interviews,  and  found 
them  very  accessible  in  conversation.  But  the  schools 
were  the  most  prosperous  department  of  the  station.  In 
about  a  year  the  number  of  schools  was  seven  and  the 
pupils  two  hundred.  Four  schools,  one  of  them  for  girls, 
were  in  the  city  itself.  An  examination  of  the  three  boys' 
schools  was  publicly  appointed  for  a  certain  day.  A 
friend  offered  a  large  room  in  his  house  for  the  occasion. 
The  day  was  rainy,  but  there  was  an  attendance  of  a  hun- 
dred and  fifty  spectators,  among  whom  was  the  Turkish 
governor  of  the  mountains.  The  exercises  passed  off 
well  and  gave  great  satisfaction.  The  female  school 
commenced  with  twelve  pupils,  but  in  less  than  six 
months  had  over  fifty,  and  required  a  second  teacher. 
When  the  missionary  arrived  there  was  not  more  than  a 
half  dozen  Christian  females  who  could  read;  in  1857 
half  of  these  fifty  scholars  were  good  readers. 

^'  Fifteen  years  ago,"  wrote  the  missionary,  "  a  man 
of  my  calling  coukl  hardly  be  permitted  to  buy  his 
necessary  food  in  the  market,  and  when  he  finally  left 
the  place  he  was  followed  with  stones  and  curses ;  now 

35 


410  BIBLE   WORK   IN    BIBLE   LANDS. 

the  same  kind  of  man  is  welcomed  and  honored.  Then 
fear  kept  many  even  of  his  friends  from  calling  on  him; 
now  even  the  priests  return  his  calls,  and  the  bishop 
himself  has  done  it.  The  old  Emeer  Besheer,  once 
leagued  with  the  patriarch  in  persecution,  is  passed 
away,  and  his  ruined  palace  is  used  as  barracks  for 
soldiers.  His  second  prime  minister,  who  did  much 
against  Protestantism,  and  whose  mansion  was  a  strong- 
hold of  the  enemy,  is  no  more,  and  what  remains  of 
the  habitation  of  this  Ahithophel  is  now  the  abode  of 
the  missionary,  and  furnishes  apartments  for  scripture 
schools  and  a  Protestant  chapel.  His  sons-in-law  were 
leaders  in  the  movement  which  brought  us  hither,  and 
are  among  our  firmest  friends.  His  grandchildren  learn 
the  folly  of  popery  within  his  own  walls.  Time  was 
when  every  one  trembled  at  the  anathema  of  the  clergy ; 
now  the  latter  dare  not  show  their  weakness  by  uttering 
such  an  announcement." 

At  the  near  out-station  of  Ain  Zehalta  there  was  a 
small  Protestant  community,  and  five  persons  were 
church  members.  Khaleel,  a  native  helper,  held  reg- 
ular religious  services  with  them,  and  with  an  audience 
larger  than  that  at  the  capital. 

Such  was  the  state  of  the  mission-work  in  Deir  el 
Kommer,  and  such  its  prospects,  when  there  came  on 
the  desolating  and  barbarous  war  of  1860,  which  swept 
that  city,  for  the  time,  out  of  existence.  The  indica- 
tions of  war  had  been  many  for  a  number  of  months, 
both  Maronites  and  Druzes  giving  out  mutual  threats 
and  mutually  committing  murders.  On  the  25th  of 
May,  the  Druzes  of  Bshamon  sent  down  a  small  party 
to  escort  to  the  mountains  some  of  their  own  men,  who 
were  occupied  in  their  silkworks  on  the  plain.     One  of 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  411 

these  men  was  murdered  by  the  Maronites,  and  two 
others  wounded.  About  the  same  time  twenty  Maro- 
nites from  Deir  el  Kommer  set  out  for  their  homes 
from  Beirut,  and  hearing  evil  tidings  turned  back  for 
fear.  One  of  these,  however,  being  in  the  employ  of 
the  governor,  joined  himself  to  a  troop  of  Turkish  sol- 
diers going  toward  the  Deir,  supposing  that  a  servant 
of  the  governor  would  be  as  safe  as  his  soldiers;  but  lie 
was,  notwithstanding,  recognized  by  Druzes  on  the  way, 
and  boldly  shot,  the  Turkish  soldiers  apparently  con- 
niving at  the  deed.  Such  a  murder  immediately  before 
the  eyes  of  a  Turkish  guard  naturally  excited  in  the 
city  the  most  violent  resentment.  The  cry  through  the 
streets  was  loud  for  vengeance.  The  reports  of  musket 
shots  were  heard  in  different  directions,  and  it  was  not 
known  but  that  each  of  these  discharges  killed  a  Druze. 
But  the  elders  and  the  more  cool  among  the  people  suc- 
ceeded in  quieting  the  tumult,  one  Druze  only  having 
been  killed  and  only  a  few  others  wounded. 

At  this  time,  in  the  Kesru-an  district,  a  Christian 
army  of  some  thousands  was  already  collected,  and 
w^as  advancing  to  annihilate  the  Druzes,  as  they  said, 
or  drive  them  from  the  mountains.  They  commenced 
their  work  about  the  27th  of  May,  at  Beit  Miri,  burn- 
ing all  the  houses  of  the  Druzes  and  driving  their 
owners  aw^ay.  This  village  being  situated  on  a  high 
and  conspicuous  elevation,  the  fire  was  seen  that  night 
far  and  wide,  and  served  as  a  war  signal  to  the  whole  of 
Lebanon.  Fire  and  sword  at  once  began  their  work  of 
desolation,  and  did  not  cease  till  all  the  important  vil- 
lages in  Southern  Lebanon  were,  either  by  flight  or  by 
the  sword,  emptied  of  their  Christian  inhabitants. 

For  two  days  the  mountains  w^ere  covered  with  smoke, 


412  BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

the  smoke  of  consuming  villages,  extending  from  the 
northern  boundary  of  the  Druze  region  to  the  villages 
south  of  Sidon.  In  these  two  days  also  the  imposing 
army  of  Maronites  from  the  north  was  met  by  the  furi- 
ous Druzes  and  scattered  to  the  winds.  There  remained 
within  the  Druze  limits  but  three  villages  from  which 
they  could  apprehend  any  further  annoyance,  namely, 
Deir  el  Kommer,  Hasbeiya  and  Zahleh.  These,  accord- 
ing to  the  programme,  came  next  to  be  destroyed. 

Operations  against  the  Deir  were  commenced  on  the 
1st  of  June.  It  so  happened  that  at  this  eventful  moment 
our  missionary  was  away  from  home.  Quieted  by  the 
peaceful  assurances  of  the  Druzes  and  of  the  Turkish 
garrison,  and  fearing  for  the  safety  of  the  little  commu- 
nity at  Ain  Zehalta,  Mr.  Bird  had  gone  to  see  if  their 
village  had  shared  the  common  ruin.  We  are  furnished 
with  a  graphic  account  of  the  situation  of  the  mission 
family  in  these  times  from  the  pen  of  his  wife  in  a  letter 
to  her  friends  in  America.  On  the  morning  of  May  31 
she  writes : 

"  The  whole  Deir  is  enveloped  in  a  cloud  of  smoke. 
Exactly  where  it  comes  from  we  cannot  tell,  for  we  can 
see  nothing  at  a  distance,  but  we  were  told  yesterday 
that  villages  were  burning  in  every  direction.  We  have 
many  fears  for  Ain  Zehalta,  our  out-station.  Two  of 
our  church  members  from  that  village  are  staying  with 
us,  Khaleel,  our  native  helper,  and  Assad  his  brother. 
For  aught  they  know  their  houses  are  burned,  and  they 
made  penniless  and  their  wives  and  children  homeless. 
There  seems  less  probability  that  the  Druzes  will  dare 
to  attack  this  place. 

"June  1. — Mr.  Bird  has  gone  to  Ain  Zehalta  with  a 
guard  of  soldiers  from  the  governor.     The  object  is  to 


BIBLE   AVORK   IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  413 

find  out  the  state  of  the  poor  Protestants  there  and  to 
see  if  he  can  do  anything  for  them.  As  to  ourselves, 
we  have  of  course  been  and  are  still  in  danger,  but  not 
like  the  native  people.  Both  parties  here  are  friendly 
to  Franks  and  would  not  harm  us  intentionally,  but 
there  is  no  knowing  what  a  party  of  enraged  Druzes 
would  do  in  a  fight.  The  people  of  the  place  all  tell  us 
they  will  do  their  utmost  to  defend  us.  Whenever  there 
is  an  alarm,  women  and  children  flock  to  us  for  refuge. 
Last  night  five  families,  beside  single  persons,  slept  on 
our  premises.  We  have  thousands  and  thousands  of 
piasters  belonging  to  the  people  concealed  in  our  house, 
and  a  great  amount  of  valuables  of  all  kinds.  We  have 
many  opportunities  of  doing  good  by  showing  kindness 
to  the  distressed.  The  people  call  down  blessings  upon 
Mr.  Bird  as  he  passes  through  the  streets.  The  ^old 
men'  (sheikhs)  have  invited  him  to  attend  several  of 
their  deliberations,  and  when  he  enters  the  room  they  all 
rise  to  receive  him.  Twenty  years  ago  missionaries  were 
stoned  out  of  the  town.  But  hark !  I  hear  firing.  Yes, 
the  whole  place  is  full  of  excitement.'^ 

"Ten  days  after  writing  the  above  I  once  more,  at  my 
first  leisure  hour,  open  my  portfolio.  God  be  praised, 
we  are  all  safe.  The  firing  we  heard  was  no  false  alarm. 
In  an  hour  after  I  had  put  up  my  pen,  which  I  had  been 
using  all  unconscious  of  danger,  the  Druzes  were  upon 
us  and  the  battle  had  commenced  in  earnest.  It  lasted 
about  six  hours,  at  the  end  of  which  time  the  victorious 
enemy  had  set  nearly  every  house  in  our  part  of  the  town 
on  fire.  I  will  not  attempt  to  describe  my  feelings  in 
being  alone  amid  such  horrors.  The  firing  was  dread- 
ful, the  bullets  ^vhizzing  and  screaming  over  our  heads, 
rattling   down    into  the   court,  and  even    entering  the 

35* 


414  BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

house.  One  of  our  teachers,  while  standing  near  a 
window,  received  a  ball  through  the  fleshy  part  of  his 
shoulder.  We  barricaded  our  most  exposed  windows, 
stoned  up  the  outside  gate,  and  gave  the  strictest  orders 
to  all  that  not  a  single  gun  should  be  fired  from  the 
premises.  Then  we  dressed  up  three  men  in  Mr.  Bird's 
old  clothes  and  distributed  them  about  the  house  to  show 
that  it  was  inhabited  by  foreigners.  Then  we  shut  our- 
selves within  doors,  and  I  tried  to  look  to  the  Lord  for 
deliverance.  He  sustained  me  wonderfully,  and  I  did 
not  once  lose  my  self-control.  There  was  one  anxious 
moment,  I  assure  you,  wheii  we  saw  one  of  the  Druzes 
jump  upon  our  study  roof.  We  knew  not  then  but  our 
turn  had  come:  But  Khaleel,  our  good  native  helper 
from  Ain  Zehalta,  opened  the  parlor  door  and  cried  out 
to  him  that  it  was  an  English  house,  and  asked  if  he  did 
not  see  the  flag.  The  Druze  bowed  politely  and  said  we 
should  not  be  harmed.  Oh  what  a  moment  of  relief  it 
was  when  we  saw  him  retire  !     Shall  I  ever  forget  it  ? 

"Our  men,  who  were  all  armed,  then  stacked  their 
guns  and  said,  '  Now  we  are  safe.'  But  the  Druzes  were 
still  as  thick  as  bees  all  around  us,  and  it  required  our 
utmost  efforts  to  keep  them  ofl",  as  they  came  from  dif- 
ferent directions.  They  entered  a  house  opposite  ours 
and  set  it  on  fire,  after  regaling  themselves  with  a  sup- 
per that  was  cooking  on  the  fire.  Our  boys'  school- 
house,  next  house  to  ours,  was  nearly  all  burned,  and 
the  teachers,  who  lived  in  it,  lost  nearly  all  they  pos- 
sessed. 

"  It  was  a  fearful  evening.  I  cannot  with  my  poor 
eyes  and  hasty  pen  give  you  any  idea  of  it.  And  tlien 
to  have  Mr.  Bird  away  !  I  feared  for  him  lest  liis  alarm 
for  us  would  make  him  push  on  to  reach  his  home  even 


BIBLE    WOBK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  415 

in  the  face  of  the  bullets.  You  can  imagine  how  he 
must  have  felt  as  he  came  in  view  of  the  town,  and 
looked  in  vain  for  his  loved  home  amid  the  curling 
flames  and  clouds  of  smoke.  He  stayed  with  the  soldiers 
that  night  at  Bteddeen,  and  reached  us  at  early  dawn  in 
tiie  morning. 

"As  soon  as  he  returned  some  of  the  men  of  the  place 
wished  him  to  go  to  Besheer  Beg,  chief  of  the  Druzes  of 
this  district,  with  a  flag  of  truce  and  ask  for  peace.  So 
we  fastened  a  white  handkerchief  to  a  cane  and  he  started 
oif,  with  one  of  our  Frank-dressed  Arabs  for  an  attend- 
ant. They  found  the  beg  about  a  mile  distant,  sitting 
under  a  tree  and  surrounded  by  his  bands  of  armed  men. 
He  made  many  fair  promises,  but  the  sequel  showed  how 
little  we  could  rely  on  them. 

"About  an  hour  after  this  interview  the  Druzes  poured 
down  upon  us  once  more,  all  ready  for  battle  if  resist- 
ance should  be  offered,  but  the  people  were  destitute  of 
ammunition  and  food,  and  not  a  gun  was  fired.  The 
Druze  men  were  followed  by  troops  of  women,  and  to- 
gether they  went  from  house  to  house,  plundering  and 
carrying  off"  on  their  backs  beds,  mats,  divans,  indeed 
everything  they  could  lay  their  hands  on  that  w^as  port- 
able.    This  pi  under- work  was  carried  on  for  two  days. 

"The  number  of  Christians  killed  and  wounded  on 
the  day  of  the  battle  was  about  eighty,  and  of  the 
Druzes  double  that  number.  Four  hundred  houses 
were  burned. 

"  The  anxious  and  care-burdened  days  we  have  passed 
since  the  attack,  I  cannot  describe  to  you.  When  the 
people  found  that  the  Druzes  did  not  touch  uSj  they 
came  in  upon  us  with  a  rush,  bringing  goods  and  chat- 
tels also  till  there  was  no  room  to  receive  them.     For  a 


416  BIBLE   WORK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

number  of  days  we  had  seven  entire  families,  beside 
enough  others  to  make  up  a  hundred  persons.  Since 
then  the  number  has  been  reduced  to  thirty.  Even  the 
aged  bishop  took  refuge  with  us  for  two  nights  and  a 
day,  bringing  with  him,  for  safe  keeping,  his  golden 
mitre;  and  the  French  Jesuit,  who  has  been  zealously 
teaching  the  people  here  that  it  was  a  mortal  sin  to  come 
to  our  house,  sent  a  note  requesting  permission  to  come 
himself.^' 

The  Turkish  garrison,  placed  in  the  town  for  its 
defence,  did  nothing  to  prevent  or  interrupt  the  mutual 
slaughter.  To  them  it  was  evidently  as  the  entertain- 
ment of  a  Spanish  bull-fight.  They  did  indeed  send 
orders  to  stop  the  incendiarism,  but  permitted  the  work 
of  plunder  to  go  on.  The  main  suffering  fell  upon  the 
suburbs  of  the  city,  the  population  of  which,  being  pur- 
posely hemmed  in  by  watchful  Druzes  close  around  them, 
were  crowded  to  the  centre,  where  the  houses  remained 
mostly  unharmed.  Here  they  were  kept  under  guard 
as  prisoners  of  war. 

Two  weeks  after  this  bloody  struggle  the  mission  fam- 
ily were  in  part  removed  from  these  scenes  to  the  neigh- 
boring station  of  Abeih,  and  they  were  followed  by  the 
missionary  himself  two  days  after.  One  of  these  two 
days  being  the  Sabbath,  Khaleel  preached  to  an  assembly 
of  fifty  persons,  to  some  of  whom  this  was  their  first  as 
well  as  last  sermon.  On  Thursday  of  that  week,  death 
came  upon  the  people  like  a  sweeping  tornado.  "  Every 
remaining  house  was  broken  into,  and  every  man  and 
boy  that  could  be  found  was  struck  down  and  slaughtered 
with  the  knife  or  the  hatchet.  The  few  that  escaped  were 
but  a  small  fractional  part  of  the  whole.  The  rank  or 
the  age  of  the  victim  made  no  difference.     The  mur- 


BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS.  417 

derers  entered  the  governor's  palace  and  hewed  down 
by  scores,  if  not  by  hundreds,  those  who  had  fled  thither 
for  safety.  Blood  is  said  to  have  run  from  the  drain  of 
the  great  court  like  water  in  a  time  of  rain.  ^  Cursed 
be  their  anger,  for  it  was  fierce,  and  their  wrath,  for  it 
was  cruel.'  The  whole  city  has  been  blotted  out  from 
the  face  of  the  earth,  and  we  are  stationless,  homeless 
and  heart-broken.'^  These  are  the  words  of  the  mis- 
sionary, and  he  proceeds :  "•  On  the  22d,  the  day  after 
the  butchery,  I  went  over  and  saw  on  my  way  crowds 
of  widows  and  orphans,  and  mingled  my  tears  with 
theirs  as  I  passed  them.  Many  of  the  poor  children 
had  been  my  scholars,  and  some  of  them  members  of 
my  Bible-class.  I  have  no  words  to  exj^ress  my  horror 
and  indignation  at  the  sight  of  their  misery. 

"So  far  as  we  personally  are  concerned,  we  cannot 
complain.  I  was  treated  with  the  utmost  respect  by 
the  chieftains  and  all.  Our  house  and  goods  had  not 
been  touched.  Those  whom  w^e  left  in  charge  at  our 
departure  and  those  who  had  fled  to  the  house  for  refuge 
had  not  been  molested,  though  all  seemed  in  imminent 
danger.  The  chiefs  gave  me  an  escort  to  guard  me  and 
those  with  me  on  my  way  back  Abeih,  and  thus  it  came 
to  pass  that  the  whole  company  of  fifty  were  brought  in 
safety  from  the  impending  slaughter."  More  than  half 
of  them  were  men  and  lads,  who  w^ould  most  certainly 
have  been  massacred  had  they  not  come  under  the  shelter 
of  this  Protestant  wing. 

Simultaneously  with  the  first  attack  on  Deir  el  Kom- 
mer  and  its  surrender,  the  same  process,  as  if  by  fixed 
arrangement,  was  going  on  at  our  other  exposed  station, 
Hasbeiya,  where  Druzes  were  the  chief  rulers.  For  two 
days  the  Christians  defended  bravely  their  houses  and 


418  BIBLE    WORK    IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

families,  but  on  the  third  they  were  persuaded  by  Othman 
Beg,  the  commander  of  the  Turkish  garrison,  to  take  ref- 
uge with  him  in  the  castle,  with  the  most  solemn  assur- 
ances of  his  efficient  safeguard.  Sitt  Na-eefeh,  a  sister  of 
Said  Beg  Jimblaut,  of  Mokhtara,  at  the  same  time  invited 
the  Protestants  to  come  under  her  keeping.  Her  invita- 
tion was  accepted  by  Khaleel  el  Khoori,  Kosta  Majdelani, 
the  schoolmaster,  and  some  others,  after  they  had  once  en- 
tered the  castle,  but  Shaheen  Barakat  (Aboo  Mansoor), 
Nicola  Haslab  and  some  others  of  the  Protestants  who 
had  entered  the  castle  remained,  trusting  to  the  promises 
and  oaths  of  the  beg.  Here  he  kept  them  many  days 
on  short  rations,  all  the  while  maintaining  an  ominous 
silence  as  to  what  he  intended  to  do  with  them,  until  a 
large  force  of  Druzes  arrived  from  the  Hooran.  This 
event  was  the  signal  for  something  new.  In  a  day  or 
two  the  voices  of  the  Druzes  around  the  castle  door  were 
heard  chanting  their  war  song.  Every  article  belong- 
ing to  the  garrison  was  at  the  same  time  removed  from 
the  lower  court,  the  men  were  all  ordered  to  assemble 
below  and  the  women  and  children  above.  Armed  sol- 
diers were  placed  at  the  stairs  that  no  one  should  reas- 
cend  them.  When  all  was  ready  the  outer  door  was 
thrown  wide  open,  and  what  followed  is  too  horrid  to 
be  described.  It  was  a  pack  of  famished  wolves  leaping 
into  the  sheepfold.  The  slaughter  was  complete.  If 
two  or  three  women  were  killed  by  random  bullets,  or 
two  or  three  men,  by  leaping  through  a  window  or  feign- 
ing themselves  dead,  Avere  saved  from  the  jaws  of  the 
lions,  they  were  accidental  exceptions. 

*' Just  before  the  slaughter  Aboo  Mansoor,  one  of  the 
leading  Protestants,  a  man  of  faith  and  prayer,  seeing 
the  preparations  going  on,  and  that  there  was  no  hope  of 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  419 

escape,  called  out  in  a  loud  voice  to  the  assembly,  com- 
posed of  a  few  Protestants  and  multitudes  of  the  Greeks 
and  Maronites :  ^  My  dear  brethren,  time  is  short.  The 
Druzes  are  about  to  be  let  in  upon  us,  and  we  are  all 
going  like  sheep  to  the  slaughter.  We  shall  soon  leave 
this  world  and  stand  before  God.  In  whom  will  you 
trust  ?  There  is  no  Saviour  but  Jesus  Christ.  Look  to 
him,  call  upon  him,  trust  in  him,  and  he  will  save.  Re- 
pent and  believe,  and  he  will  not  cast  you  off.  Let 
every  one  call  on  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  the  Sa- 
viour.' Great  numbers  of  them  then  called  out  with  him 
to  Jesus  Christ  to  save  their  souls.  Aboo  Mansoor  and 
others  of  the  Protestants  continued  in  prayer,  and  he, 
while  in  this  act,  was  slain  by  the  Druzes  and  literally 
hewn  to  pieces." 

Some  remarkable  incidents  in  this  bloody  tragedy  are 
contained  in  the  French  Roman  Catholic  periodical, 
"Xa  Revue  des  Deux  Mondes.^^  The  source  from  which 
the  account  is  here  copied,  aside  from  its  inherent  inter- 
est, will  justify  its  insertion  in  this  place. 

"  The  population  of  Hasbeiya,"  says  the  writer,  "  was 
composed  of  a  number  of  Muslim  emeers  of  the  house 
of  Shehab,  some  thousands  of  orthodox  Greeks,  a  great 
number  of  Maronites  and  a  community  of  Protestants, 
cruelly  persecuted  by  all  the  other  sects.  Notwithstand- 
ing the  ill  treatment,  however,  of  the  Protestants,  they 
at  the  moment  of  danger  made  common  cause  with  the 
emeers  and  their  other  fellow-citizens  for  the  defence  of 
their  country. 

"The  aged  Barakat  (Shaheen,  Aboo  Mansoor),  beloved 
and  venerated  throughout  the  mountains  on  account  of 
his  piety,  chose  to  march  to  the  combat  (notwithstanding 
Lis  age  of  seventy  years),  and  to  fight  by  the  side  of  his 


420  BIBLE   WORK    IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

son  Mansoor.  It  was  this  Mansoor  who,  freeing  a  pas- 
sage for  himself  through  the  ranks  of  the  Druzes,  seized 
the  standard  of  the  enemy,  cut  off  the  head  of  him  that 
bore  it,  and  waving  the  flag  on  high,  returned  with  it 
as  a  trophy  to  his  friends. 

"  The  Christians  were  finally  induced  to  give  them- 
selves up  to  the  protection  of  Othman  Beg.  This  man, 
having  disarmed  them,  kept  them  ten  days  in  the  castle 
dying  with  hunger.  The  Druzes  at  last  came  and  said 
that  their  chiefs  demanded  the  heads  of  their  emeers 
and  the  heads  of  a  certain  number  of  Christians,  whose 
names  they  gave ;  with  this  they  would  be  satisfied.  .  .  . 
Then  commenced  a  scene  of  carnage  the  hoi-ror  of  which 
no  pen  can  portray.  One  thousand  and  fifty  disarmed 
men,  Christians  and  Mohammedan  emeers,  were  slaugh- 
tered one  after  another,  proscribed  and  unproscribed,  all 
alike.  The  Turks  took  no  active  part  in  the  butchery, 
but  contented  themselves  with  simply  maintaining  order. 

"  One  of  the  first  victims  was  George,  the  civil  head 
of  the  Greek  community.*  The  civil  head  of  the  Prot- 
estants was  more  fortunate.  Passing  through  the  midst 
of  the  living  and  the  dead,  he  made  his  way  to  a  small 
back  room  already  filled  with  emeers  and  Christians, 
some  of  them  bleeding  and  dying.  Hastily  throwing 
off  his  clothes,  he  besmeared  himself  with  blood  and 
stretched  himself  on  the  floor  as  one  that  had  been  killed 
and  despoiled.  The  Druzes  approached  and  slew  upon 
him  three  or  four  others,  whose  dead  bodies  served  still 

*  This  man  was  called  Girgis  er  Eey-is.  He  was  in  the  service  of 
the  governor,  the  Emeer  Saad  ed  Deen,  and  though  professedly  a 
Greek,  he  was  nevertheless  a  strict  keeper  of  the  Sabbath,  and  from 
being  a  persecutor  had  become  a  staunch  friend  of  the  Protestants, 
by  whom  also  he  was  held  in  the  highest  esteem. 


HASBEIYA,  ITS  I^OWKR  PORTION. 
C.  Castle  where  the  massacre  of  the  Christiaus  took  i)hico  in  1S60, 


36 


422  BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

more  effectually  to  conceal  him.  Tlie  night  came  on. 
He  rose  and  dressed  himself  with  a  bloody  chemise  and 
with  a  pair  of  wide  Arab  trowsers  which  had  been  left 
on  one  of  the  bodies,  and  having  made  a  hole  in  the 
wall,  he  crept  into  an  adjoining  chamber  where  there 
was  an  opening  through  which  he  escaped  into  the  gar- 
den and  into  the  street,  and  so  finally,  amid  many  addi- 
tional dangers,  to  the  palace  of  the  Sitt." 

The  enormities  of  this  crusade  of.  Turks  and  Druzes 
against  Christians  gave  fury  to  the  sympathetic  fanati- 
cism of  the  Mohammedans  of  Damascus,  resulting  in  the 
sudden  and  utter  destruction  of  the  whole  Christian 
quarter  of  that  great  city.  Frank  houses,  convents  and 
even  consulates  shared  in  the  common  destruction.  The 
Franciscan  convent  contained  many  European  friars  and 
nearly  a  thousand  refugees  of  the  natives,  all  of  whom 
were  put  to  the  sword.  One  Protestant  missionary,  Rev. 
Mr.  Graham,  was  slain  in  the  streets.  The  bold  native 
Protestant  champion,  Dr.  Meshaka,  who  was  vice-con- 
sul for  the  United  States,  was  attacked  in  his  own  con- 
sulate by  some  savage  Koords,  and  fled  into  the  street. 
He  was  shot  at  repeatedly  and  assailed  with  clubs  and 
axes  and  swords.  His  Muslim  servant  stayed  by  him 
and  warded  off  many  a  death-blow,  and  his  master  was 
finally  rescued  by  a  few  Algerines  under  Abd  el  Kader, 
and  brought,  all  gashed  with  wounds  and  nearly  naked, 
to  the  house  of  a  faithful  Muslim  friend,  who  bound  up 
his  wounds  and  for  a  month  took  the  greatest  care  of 
him.  Many  persons  had  fled  from  the  desolations  of 
Hasbeiya  and  vicinity  only  to  meet  death  at  Damascus. 
Yoosef  Barakat,  a  younger  son  of  Shaheen  of  Hasbeiya, 
was  in  a  remarkable  manner  saved,  with  his  whole  fam- 
ily of  seven.     They  were  all  Protestants,  and  two  of 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS.  423 

them  in  communion  with  the  church.  The  wife  had 
been  educated  in  the  family  of  our  missionary,  Dr.  De 
Forest.  When  the  ruffians  broke  into  Yoosef's  house, 
the  family  were  all  scattered  in  every  direction.  The 
wife  was  several  times  a  prisoner,  but  by  giving  up  her 
jewels  one  after  another  she  was  let  go,  and  finally  came 
to  the  house  of  the  English  consul,  where  all  the  seven 
from  different  quarters  were  at  last  brought  together. 

Beside  the  four  principal  towns  above  specified,  the 
large  interior  villages  of  Resheiyat  el  Wady  and  Jezzeen, 
containing  together  four  or  five  thousand  inhabitants, 
and  with  them  two  hundred  smaller  villages,  were,  in 
this  Turco-Druze  war,  either  wholly  or  partially  de- 
stroyed, and  their  Christian  population  either  murdered 
or  driven  away.  Deir  el  Mokhollis,  the  chief  convent 
of  the  papal  Greeks"  near  Sidon,  was  violated,  its  inmates 
slain  and  its  goods  and  chattels,  with  its  valuable  library, 
plundered.  Mr.  Wilson's  station  at  Hums  became  un- 
safe, and  he  removed  to  the  region  of  Tripoli,  but  on 
his  way  was  robbed  and  held  in  captivity  for  a  while  by 
the  Arabs.  How  many  of  the  smaller  villages  about 
Damascus  suffered  in  like  manner  is  untold. 

Great  excitement  also  pervaded  all  the  cities  of  the 
coast,  and  it  is  confidently  believed  that  massacres  would 
have  been  perpetrated  in  them  like  those  of  the  interior 
had  not  the  Muslims  been  overawed  by  a  few  foreign 
ships  of  war  on  the  coast.  At  Sidon  whole  companies 
of  Christian  fugitives  from  the  mountains  were  denied 
entrance  into  the  city,  and  were  overtaken  and  slain 
by  their  Druze  pursuers  or  shot  down  by  the  Turks 
themselves  from  the  city  walls.  The  governor  of  the 
city  insolently  refused  a  guard  for  the  houses  of  the  mis- 
sionaries, and  they  were  compelled  to  remove  for  safety 


424  BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

to  Beirut.  Yet  even  in  Beirut  Christians,  both  foreign 
and  native,  judging  from  outward  appearances,  for  a 
number  of  days  considered  themselves  in  danger  of  vio- 
lence and  death,  and  subsequent  revelations  have  made  it 
clear  that  a  plot  against  the  town  had  actually  been  ma- 
tured, and  failed  only  on  account  of  ships  in  the  harbor. 
A  similar  deliverance  was  vouchsafed  by  Providence  to 
Acca  and  other  maritime  cities.  That  this  wholesale 
slauo^hter  of  Christians  was  not  disag^reeable  to  the  Turk- 
ish  government  was  evident  not  only  from  their  promot- 
ing rather  than  preventing  it,  but  also  from  an  authen- 
ticated declaration  years  ago  of  one  of  the  most  eminent 
pashas  of  Damascus,  namely,  that  the  Turkish  govern- 
ment could  maintain  its  ascendency  in  Syria  only  ^^hy 
cutting  down  the  Christian  sects.^^ 

The  punishment  awarded  to  the  guilty  in  this  bloody 
war  was  shockingly  inadequate  to  the  crimes  committed. 
The  governor  and  military  commander  at  Damascus, 
three  Turkish  officers,  superintendents  of  the  Hasbeiya 
massacre,  and  one  hundred  and  seventeen  others  were 
indeed  all  shot.  Fifty-six  Damascene  citizens  died  on 
the  scaffold.  Eleven  prominent  men  were  exiled  and 
their  property  confiscated.  The  Turk  who  presided  and 
"kept  order ^'  at  the  massacre  in  Deir  el  Kommer,  the 
pasha  at  Beirut,  and  four  or  five  other  Turkish  officials 
were  condemned  to  perpetual  imprisonment,  and  several 
Druzes  to  death,  but  none  of  these  latter  sentences  were 
ever  executed,  and  hundreds  of  others,  chiefly  Druzes, 
who  were  proved  guilty  of  murder,  went  scot  free.  Not 
a  Druze  was  punished. 

After  this  a  body  of  commissioners  from  the  European 
powers  was  sent  to  estimate  the  damages  for  which  the 
Turkish  government  ought  to  make  due  reparation  to 


BIBLE   WORK    IN   BIBLE    LANDS.  425 

the  remaining  Christians.  Those  commissioners  failed  to 
agree  among  themselves,  and  the  benefit  looked  for  from 
their  appointment  fell  very  far  short  of  the  public  ex- 
pectation. It  was  well,  however,  that  they  came,  and 
could  as  eye-witnesses  officially  report  back  to  their  gov- 
ernments the  depth  of  misery  to  which  the  poor  Lebanon 
and  Damascene  Christians  were  reduced,  and  could  also  in 
some  degree  supervise  the  distribution  of  the  alms  sent 
for  the  naked,  the  hungry  and  the  houseless  from  sym- 
pathizing fellow-Christians  in  Europe.  Crowds  in  thou- 
sands after  thousands  of  fugitives  from  Damascus  and 
all  parts  of  the  mountains,  driven  by  fear  and  poverty, 
poured  down  to  Sidon,  and  especially  to  Beirut,  nearly 
all  of  whom  were  reduced  to  beggary,  and  must  be  fed 
or  die,  and  all  the  contributions  of  all  Europe  and  Amer- 
ica were  scarcely  enough  for  them  "that  everyone  might 
take  a  little."  So  far  had  the  supply  fallen  below  the 
demand  in  the  month  of  November  that  Lord  Dufferin, 
one  of  the  English  commissioners,  felt  constrained  to 
advance  from  his  own  private  funds  a  loan  of  twenty-five 
thousand  dollars  to  save  many  that  were  not  only  suffer- 
ing, but  actually  pining  away  and  perishing  from  want. 
The  depth  of  wretchedness  into  which  the  Christian 
population  of  the  country  were  thrown  by  this  barbarian 
butchery,  and  the  part  taken  by  our  missionaries  in  ad- 
ministering such  relief  as  they  svere  able,  may  be  seen 
from  the  following  extracts  from  a  letter  of  Dr.  Thom- 
son : 

"We  are  now  spending  for  food,  clothing,  bedding, 
shelter,  hospital  and  soup-kitchen  at  the  rate  of  about 
sixty  thousand  piasters  a  week,  and  yet  we  seem  to  make 
little  impression  on  the  mighty  mass  of  misery  around  us. 
The  actual  working  of  all  these  departments  of  charity 


426  BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

devolves  wholly  upon  ov/r  mission.  I  have  the  clothing, 
bedding,  shelter  and  soup-kitchen  under  my  special  care; 
Dr.  Van  Dyck  takes  charge  of  the  hospital  and  the  sick 
in  general.  Mr.  Jessup  has  the  enormous  business  of 
distributing  bread  to  about  six  thousand  persons  daily, 
and  two  of  our  native  brethren,  Bootrus  Bistany  and 
Micha-eel  Aramon,  have  the  daily  distribution  to  about 
two  thousand  five  hundred  poor. 

^'  The  English  merchants  devote  much  of  their  time 
to  our  committee  meetings,  and  cheerfully  help  in  man- 
aging the  large  financial  business  connected  with  this 
vast  charity.  .  .  .  The  extent  of  the  calamity  is  bewil- 
dering. Yesterday  we  had  an  appeal  in  behalf  of  three 
or  four  thousand  refugees  from  Baalbec  and  adjacent 
regions  who  fled  over  Lebanon  to  Besherry,  near  the 
cedars,  and  are  there  naked  and  starving ;  that  is  four 
days  to  the  north.  Word  also  came  from  Mr.  Ford  that 
fifteen  hundred  of  the  escaped  from  Hasbeiya  and  re- 
gions about  there  had  just  reached  Sidon,  and  more  were 
coming,  while  thousands  are  wandering  about  in  Belad 
Beshara,  three  days  to  the  south  of  us.  Again,  to  the 
eastward  going  from  here  to  Yabrood,  two  days  beyond 
Damascus  toward  Palmyra,  the  whole  region  has  been 
scathed  and  burnt  over  and  the  Christian  population 
ruined.  The  victims  far  exceed  one  hundred  thousand. 
The  killed  alone  in  Damascus  are  more  than  five  thou- 
sand. And  then  remember  that  in  all  places  the  killed 
are  men  and  boys,  the  stamina  of  the  population,  who 
find  the  work  and  furnish  the  support.  This  country 
has  no  factories  where  women  can  go  and  find  employ- 
ment and  gain  a  living. 

"  I  went  to  distribute  clothing  yesterday  to  one  room. 
There  were  six  women,  all  newly-made  widows,  with  no 


BIBLE   WORK   IN   BIBLE   LANDS.  427 

male  child  or  friend  to  comfort  or  care  for  them.  An- 
other room  had  five  such  widows.  A  friend  of  mine 
has  taken  nine  women  into  his  family,  all  widoivs,  made 
such  in  the  slaughter  at  Deir  el  Kommer.  None  of 
these  widows  saved  avything,  and  they  are  in  rags,  ex- 
cept so  far  as  we  have  clothed  them.  Mr.  Calhoun, 
through  scenes  of  great  anxiety,  still  holds  the  important 
position  of  Abeih.  But  Mr.  Ford,  after  working  himself 
almost  to  death  here,  has  gone  to  Sidon  to  do  the  same 
there  for  Hasbeiyans  and  other  thousands  there  and  to 
the  south  of  Sidon. 

"  In  regard  to  the  effects  of  this  desolating  war,  or 
rather  massacre,  particularly  on  the  interests  of  the  mis- 
sion, it  has  been  ascertained  that  among  the  victims  that 
fell  scarcely  a  dozen  were  from  among  those  that  had 
professed  themselves  Protestants.  Very  few  of  the  sta- 
tions or  out-stations  were  more  than  temporarily  inter- 
fered with,  and  most  of  them  not  at  all.  Every  mis- 
sionary, and  nearly  or  quite  every  missionary  teacher 
and  helper,  was  spared ;  and  when  peace  came,  many  of 
them  were  immediately  and  intensely  engaged  in  the  very 
work  that  occupied  their  divine  Master — in  feeding  the 
hungry,  as  he  did,  by  thousands  at  once,  in  preaching  to 
them  at  the  same  time  the  gospel  of  the  kingdom,  and 
in  healing,  so  far  as  means  could  go,  'all  manner  of  sick- 
ness and  all  manner  of  disease  among  the  people.'  Lord 
Dufferin,  in  speaking  of  the  part  borne  by  the  Syrian 
missionaries  in  this  work  of  humanity  and  religion, 
awards  to  them  unmeasured  commendation,  declaring 
that  '  without  their  indefatigable  exertions  the  supplies 
sent  from  Christendom  could  never  have  been  properly 
distributed  no7'  the  starvation  of  thousands  of  the  needy 
been  prevented.' " 


428  BIBLE   WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

Thus  in  the  most  favorable  circumstances  possible  were 
the  missionaries  introduced  to  the  personal  knowledge 
and  acquaintance  of  multitudes  of  the  natives  whom  they 
came  into  this  land  to  benefit,  but  who  otherwise  would 
never  have  seen  them,  and  probably  never  have  heard 
of  them,  except  it  might  be  in  priestly  proclamation, 
styling  them  "  wolves  in  sheep's  clothing  and  enemies  of 
the  human  racer 

In  less  than  two  months  after  the  assassin's  hand  was 
stayed  the  missionaries  were  able  to  say,  "The  Beirut 
station  continues  its  operations,  the  press  is  working,  the 
female  school  is  open  as  usual,  and  the  boys'  school  would 
be  but  that  the  school-room  is  full  of  refugees,  the  trans- 
lation of  the  scriptures  has  been  resumed,  the  printing 
of  the  voweled  edition  of  the  New  Testament  is  about  to 
be  commenced,  and,  what  is  more  important  than  all, 
our  chapel  is  crowded  with  hearers,  and  we  have  and 
are  likely  to  have  more  direct  missionary  work  to  do  in 
Beirut  than  ever  before.  Mr.  Calhoun  has  remained  at 
his  station,  where  he  has  kept  up  his  regular  preaching 
service  both  in  Abeih  and  in  Aramlin,  the  congregations 
being  as  large  as  before  the  war,  if  not  larger.  The 
common  schools  at  these  two  places  have  been  re-opened 
at  the  urgent  request  of  both  Christians  and  Druzes, 
and  we  are  inclined  to  think  that  even  at  Deir  el  Kom- 
mer,  when  the  old  settlers  that  escaped  shall  return  and 
new  ones  come  in,  the  door  for  the  gospel  will  be  open 
there  wider  than  in  the  days  of  its  prosperity.  Mr. 
Ford  has  increased  calls  upon  him  for  mission  work,  not 
only  for  the  city  of  Sidon  itself,  but  for  his  out-stations 
of  Cana,  Alma  and  the  villages  of  Merj  Aioon. 

"  So  far  from  having  nothing  to  do  now  in  Syria," 
says  Mr.  Ford,  "  we  never  were  so  busy  in  our  lives  be- 


BTBI.E    WORK    IN    BIIJLE    LANDS.  429 

fore.  There  is  no  lack  of  opportunity  for  tlie  direct 
preaching  of  the  gospel  at  nearly  all  our  stations,  and  at 
some  of  them  the  congregations  are  very  large  and  the 
])eople  quite  at  leisure  to  listen  to  the  truth." 

Ever  since  the  terrible  visitation  already  described, 
Syria  has  remained  in  comparative  peace  and  the 
mission  has  been  steadily  increasing  in  strength.  This 
increase  has  appeared  more  especially  in  three  particu- 
lars— in  its'laborerSf  in  its  educational  jpreparations,  and 
in  its  press.  Its  ministry  has  held  its  own  in  point  of 
numbers.  One  strong  man  has  been  translated  to  a 
higher  sphere,  and  others  have  left  the  field  finally  or 
for  a  time,  but  their  places  have  been  filled  by  new  re- 
cruits, and  in  the  female  branch  more  than  filled.  INIean- 
time,  all  have  been  growing  strong  in  speech,  so  that  it 
may  be  said  now,  as  it  never  could  have  been  before,  that 
we  have  in  the  work  a  force  of  ten  or  twelve  men  able 
to  announce  the  gospel  message  about  as  well  in  Arabic 
as  in  English.  In  this  estimate,  however,  the  men  of 
the  college  roust  be  included.  The  theological  seminary, 
in  its  new  organization,  the  female  boarding-school,  with 
its  full  complement  of  teachers,  and  the  new  college  for 
literature  and  science  will  conspire  to  establish  a  new 
era  in  Arab  thought  in  Syria,  while  the  press,  with  its 
varied  and  elegant  typography,  and  its  power  of  turning 
out  annually  ten  million  pages  of  human  and  divine  in- 
struction, will  contribute  nourishment  for  the  awakened 
minds  and  softened  hearts  of  perishing  millions. 

This  great  and  glorious  enterprise  for  Syria  lately 
passed,  by  mutual  agreement,  from  the  hands  of  the 
American  Board  of  Missions  to  those  of  the  Presbyterian 
Board.  What  the  state  and  condition  of  it  was  at  the 
time  of  the  transfer  may  be  seen  in  part  by  the  follow- 


430  BIBLE    WORK    IN   BIBLE   LANDS. 

ing  extracts  from  an  account  written  by  a  laborer  on  the 
ground,  the  Rev.  D.  Stuart  Dodge : 

"  The  Syria  mission  was  originally  planted  to  evan- 
gelize the  non-Christian  sects,  especially  the  Mohamme- 
dans; its  work  among  nominal  Christians  was  only  a 
means  to  this  end.  Oriental  Christianity  stood  as  the 
chief  stumbling-block  to  labors  among  the  heathen  be- 
yond. This  it  was  necessary  to  remove  by  exhibiting  a 
Christian  church  with  a  purer  faith  and  holier  life.  The 
gospel  must  be  preached  in  the  vernacular;  only  natives 
could  do  this  to  the  best  advantage  and  to  the  extent 
demanded.  All  efforts,  therefore,  have  been  primarily 
directed  to  the  Oriental  churches. 

"1.  The  Maronites,  dwelling  principally  on  Mt.  Leb- 
anon north  of  Beirut,  descendants  of  the  ancient  Syrians, 
and  numbering  two  hundred  thousand.  They  are  pa- 
pists, the  common  people  ignorant,  the  priesthood  edu- 
cated and  powerful,  the  patriarch  ruling  with  a  rod  of 
iron. 

"2.  The  papal  Greeks,  numbering  fifty  thousand,  of 
pure  Arab  stock,  the  proudest,  most  intelligent  and  en- 
terprising people  of  Syria. 

"3.  The  Orthodox  Greek  Church,  embracing  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  thousand ;  its  higliest  dignitaries  foreign- 
ers, rarely  speaking  Arabic,  and  having  little  sympathy 
with  the  customs  and  wants  of  their  people. 

"  In  respect  to  all  these  sects,  therefore,  it  is  a  signifi- 
cant and  encouraging  fact  that,  just  as  tlie  mission  is 
transferred,  the  people  which  it  seeks  to  evangelize  were 
never  in  a  more  favorable  condition  for  enlarged  and  vig- 
orous effort.  The  leaven  scattered  through  so  many  years 
is  not  only  apparent  from  a  gradually-increasing  spirit 
of  inquiry,  but  unlooked-for  events  have  now  stirred  up 


BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE   LANDS.  431 

tlie  wliole  mass  to  an  unwonted  ferment,  and  we  arc  eni- 
^pliatically  called  to  take  advantage  of  the  opportunity. 

"The  material  equipment  for  this  work  is  at  hand. 
1.  Churches  have  been  erected  in  many  of  the  prominent 
towns  and  villages.  The  Sidon  station  has  seven  com- 
modious and  permanent  buildings.  All  the  stations 
have  school-houses  or  accommodations  for  worship  in  de- 
sirable localities.  Beirut,  the  strategic  base  of  the  mis- 
sion, a  city  of  eighty  thousand  inhabitants,  the  chief 
seaport  and  centre  of  influence  in  Syria,  has  now  a  sub- 
stantial and  graceful  structure  on  a  commanding  site, 
with  sittings  for  four  hundred  and  fifty  persons,  and 
with  a  tower  and  clock,  which  stands  up  before  all  eyes 
a  solid  argument  for  Protestantism. 

"2.  Educational  institutions  have  been  established. 
The  theological  seminary  has  recently  been  re-organized. 
Mr.  Calhoun,  Dr.  H.  H.  Jessup  and  Mr.  Eddy  are  the 
efficient  professors.  The  number  of  students  is  small, 
but  no  effort  will  now  be  spared  to  give  this  institution 
the  prominence  its  vital  work  demands.  The  college  is 
year  by  year  attracting  more  widely  the  attention  and 
confidence  of  the  people.  Drs.  Bliss,  Yan  Byck,  Post, 
Wortabet  and  others  are  absorbed  in  efforts  to  build  it 
up  on  a  basis  of  sound,  systematic  evangelical  culture. 
It  has  eighty  students  in  the  literary  and  medical  depart- 
ments, with  already  extensive  cabinets  and  apparatus,  a 
hospital,  dispensary  and  other  aj^pointments.  It  is  not 
organically  connected  with  the  mission,  an  independent 
organization  being  deemed  necessary.  This,  however, 
tends  even  more  effectively  to  promote  the  objects  of  the 
mission.  Its  one  comprehensive  aim  is  to  raise  up  men 
from  among  the  people  themselves  to  evangelize  their 
own  country. 


432  BIBLE    WORK    IN    BIBLE    LANDS. 

"An  academy  is  located  at  A  belli  to  prepare  teachers 
for  primary  schools  on  the  mountain  and  to  fit  students 
for  the  college.  District  schools  exist  throughout  the 
field.  A  noble /e??ia^c  academy  flourishes  at  Beirut,  with 
forty  boarders  and  as  many  more  day  scholars.  This 
school  already  exerts  a  wide  influence,  and  is  to  become  a 
centre  for  woman's  work  among  women.  A  smaller  in- 
stitution at  Sidon  educates  teachers  for  infant  schools  and 
wives  for  native  helpers,  whilst  schools,  chiefly  primary, 
have  been  established  at  different  places  by  Scotch  and 
English  societies. 

"3.  The  press,  also  at  Beirut  and  near  the  church, 
has  long  been  felt  in  all  parts  of  the  Orient.  It  sends 
out  annually  from  five  to  six  millions  of  pages  in  vari- 
ous departments  of  religious  and  secular  knowledge. 
The  type  and  electrotype  plates  are  made  on  the  prem- 
ises. Mr.  Hallock  is  the  able  manager.  Dr.  Van  Dyck 
has  now  issued  six  editions  of  the  Old  Testament  and 
eight  of  the  New  almost  wholly  at  the  expense  of  the 
American  Bible  Society.  A  voweled  Bible  has  just 
been  finished  for  Mohammedan  readers,  and  portions  of 
the  gospel  have  been  issued  for  the  blind. 

"All  these  agencies  are  now  in  active  operation.  They 
need  only  such  facilities  as  can  readily  be  supplied,  and 
then  they  should  be  pushed  to  their  utmost  capacity. 

^' The  field  is  ready,  the  machinei^y  is  provided;  let  the 
MEN  be  forthcoming. '^ 


THE   END. 


Date  Due 

■' 

r      ■                         -        , 

i\  ifflSfflPBW!  W^ 

iiiiM  \ 

-^' J  I 

JUti    ' — - 

<■■' 

M 

5 

— ^^sTt: 

ami 

iP^Mi^^ 

w 

f 

^^M^-  •  ■■■■  :■■:.; 


BW7157.2.B61 

Bible  work  in  Bible  lands,  or,  Events  in 


Princeton  Theological  Semmary-Speer  Library 


1012  00038  6567 


>.*?■*!*; 


